


the flight to Ryloth

by JustAnotherWriterChica



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:41:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 60,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23774728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherWriterChica/pseuds/JustAnotherWriterChica
Summary: Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and Padawan Barriss Offee have just returned to Coruscant only to find that the Council is sending them out once more. Their new mission is to bring relief supplies to the rebels of Ryloth to help in their fight to free the planet. However, what was supposed to be a simple mission quickly goes to the way side when they are confronted by Separatist ships and forced to divert to the planet of Shimia. Little is known about the planet but the Jedi soon find out that there are dangerous forces at work on the small world.
Relationships: Barriss Offee & Luminara Unduli, Barriss Offee/Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Luminara Unduli
Comments: 22
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone I hope you enjoy this story because this is something that I've really been enjoying writing! that being said, I took a lot of liberty with the the relationships between all the Jedi so that they could enjoy their emotions. this is my vision of them, which is why it's fanfiction, so if it's not your cup of tea feel free not to read but if it is please enjoy all the emotions that everyone feels in this pic :)

When Jedi Master Luminara Unduli imagined a “simple mission” she envisioned escorting a low-level diplomat back to their home planet. Running a supply ship to the underbelly of Coruscant. Taking the younglings on an informative outing to some nearby planet. In no world did she imagine her current situation as a simple mission.

At the moment Luminara was sprinting through the halls of a transport ship while alarms blared overhead, her padawan hot on her heels as they hurried towards the cockpit. When the pair burst through the automatic doors they were greeted by a scene of barely controlled chaos as their men scrambled to regain control of the ship.

“Commander!” Luminara called as she skidded to a halt, holding out an arm to catch Barriss who was sliding past her. “Status report.”

Gree’s head popped up from behind one of his men as he reported back, “We’re taking heavy fire, General. Separatist fighters have been deployed to our position and we just don’t have the artillery power to match them.”

Luminara peered out at the scene in front of them, watching as their turrets fired at the Separatist ships looping back to face them head-on. As the cannons fired she cast her eyes about the room, observing the clear stress on her men’s faces while they tried to retain control of their stations. Their transport was also screaming out for help, flashing red lights and continuous alarms signaling a need for a mechanic shortly if they were to stay afloat. 

She turned back to Gree and questioned, “What are the odds that we can make it to the nearest planet?” 

“We’re closing in on Ryloth, so there isn’t really much out here but…” Gree thought aloud as he turned to the holomap behind him. Master and padawan waited as he scanned the nearby area before zooming in on their coordinates. He pointed to a smaller planet, little more than a blip that one could have looked over entirely if they weren’t paying attention. “Here, Shimia. I’ve never heard of it but it’s one short jump away from our current position and it should put us off the course of these Seppies.”

“Then Shimia it is.” Luminara nodded her approval of the plan and waved a hand towards the other men, signaling for them to begin preparations to jump. 

Their present mission was to deliver a shipment of relief supplies to the rebel fighters on Ryloth, Twi’leks embroiled in a fight for their lives against the Separatist forces. The council had been planning to send Skywalker and his padawan but the Hutts were stirring up a significant amount of trouble elsewhere in the Outer Rim and they had been deployed to deal with that issue. That left the Mirialan master and padawan as the only team readily available for the task.

Luminara and Barriss had only just returned from their previous mission to the front lines when they were summoned to the council chambers and being deployed again, which meant no rest for the Jedi. 

When they had reported in both Mirialan women were exhausted and still covered in layers of grime. They’d had an unfortunate encounter with the local fauna in the forest they’d been chased through during their mission. The council members had done their best to hide their obvious distaste for the smell when they’d trudged in, aside from Master Kenobi who had made more than his fair share of teasing remarks. If it were appropriate Luminara would have dealt with her troublesome friend then and there but alas, she would have to wait for a sparring session when they returned home. 

While they had been standing in the middle of the chambers Luminara couldn’t help but feel bad for Barriss. Thanks to years of experience Luminara was braced for these endless back to back missions but she was more than aware that they were beginning to weigh down on her padawan. 

Children shouldn’t be sprinting through war zones like this, Jedi or not. 

A particularly jarring alarm rung out and brought Luminara out of her current musings. The Separatists had just hit their ship once more and a flashing screen told her that they were starting to leak fuel. “Commander, we need to get moving now if we are going to live to fight another day.”

Gree simply nodded as he barked commands to his men and soon enough the blue pricks of hyperspace were dancing into view as the ship lurched. There seemed to be an audible sigh echoing around the cockpit once they were secure in their hyperspace lane. When they received the all-clear most of the clones got up and began to move through the ship, extinguishing problems as they arose and slowly but surely the red warning lights began to blink out of existence and the alarms faded into nothingness.

Luminara released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding as she turned to her padawan. Barriss was looking over Draa’s shoulder, analyzing the words that flitted across his screen when Luminara asked, “I have never heard of this world we are approaching. Have you, Barriss?”

“No master,” Barriss replied tiredly, tearing her gaze from the monitor to meet her master’s. There were deep bags under her eyes and Luminara could see that she was pinching her arm in an attempt to stay alert. 

It was a habit she had picked up years ago while observing her master when they attended debriefings after long, difficult missions. Luminara often sacrificed her rest for that of her troops so when they returned to the temple her energy stores were almost completely empty by the time they reported to the council. Barriss watched as her master would tuck her arms behind her back in a seemingly respectful manner before beginning to pinch and pull at the skin on her wrists. The ritual would continue until they were dismissed and Luminara could crash face-first into her bed. This little habit was something Barriss had picked up on years ago when she first joined Luminara’s side and she had slowly integrated into her personal customs. 

It made Luminara smile, knowing that her padawan not only picked up on such minuscule behavior but also repeated after her despite how silly it was. She hoped it spoke to the bond between them. 

Come to think of it, the Jedi felt her own energy sapping now that they were out of immediate danger but she had to push that weariness aside. They were heading into the unknown and she needed to be alert. That being said, however, she knew that Barriss should at least take a few minutes to herself.

The Jedi Master placed a hand on her padawan’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze as she murmured, “Barriss, no one is going to fault you if you require a few moments of rest. I know that it has been a long week for you.”

Her padawan seemed surprised by the touch, eyes darting down to the extended hand before meeting her master’s gaze and offering a hesitant smile. “If it’s all the same to you master, I will hold off until we complete our mission.”

Luminara peered at Barriss for a moment longer before relenting with a nod, dropping her hand to rest against her side once more. 

The Jedi considered her padawan as she turned back to the mingling blues of hyperspace, attempting to calm her mind. Barriss was getting older and the time for her trials was quickly closing in as her padawan made a name for herself. Luminara had been giving Barriss fairly consistent command over their missions for the past year and she continued to overcome every obstacle that faced her. No matter what the challenge was Barriss rose to the occasion, even when Luminara left her to figure things out entirely on her own. Frankly, she couldn’t be prouder of Barriss’ performance and Luminara hoped it was evident, even though she might not be the best at showing that. 

The Mirialan master, however, had sensed some hesitance in her padawan over the last few weeks. Never in critical life or death moments but in the quiet that followed afterwards. The Force would tense around Barriss as they departed from a planet or emerged from an interrogation. It was never so intense that Luminara felt the need to worry, she assumed it was just battle fatigue for the most part, but the frequency of these tremors was increasing. She knew they would have to have a conversation about it soon before Barriss retreated too far into herself.

That particular conversation was one Luminara had intended for them to have in their quarters upon their return to Coruscant from their previous mission but she supposed it would have to wait. 

Luminara was once again pulled from her private thoughts as the ship lurched once more, dropping out of hyperspace with a hiss. She glanced at Gree who was scratching his head at the noise and muttering, “Gonna have to check that out soon,” as he moved about the cabin.

Suppressing a smile at the comment, Luminara cast her eyes towards the bay window and looked upon the planet that emerged before them. 

Shimia looked to be a thriving planet, covered in vibrant blue bodies of water and great green expanses of land. The atmospheric readouts were also coming back clean and Luminara silently thanked the Force for that, the last thing they needed was for the planet to attack them as well.

Gree and Buzz conversed for a moment, gesturing at the screens in front of them as the Jedi looked on. After a minute of bickering that involved a lot of pointing and waving, the soldiers decided to set the ship down in a small clearing they were approaching to assess their damages. 

As they approached the area Luminara took in more of the planet’s features. They seemed to be in a mountain range that went on for as far as the eye could see. Each mountain was heavily forested, to the point where the Jedi found it hard to believe that there was any clearing big enough for their ship to be had. 

As she looked on Luminara asked her padawan, “Notice anything?”

Barriss also had her eyes glued on the scenery in front of them and replied almost immediately, “No signs of life from what I can see, master. There aren’t any apparent markers of civilization in this area.”

Luminara hummed in agreement, her thoughts exactly. She hoped that they did not need new supplies to repair the ship, they would be hard-pressed to find them if this was what the whole planet looked like. But that was a worry for later, they needed to focus on landing more presently. 

“Clearing should be just ahead General!” Draa called from his seat, pressing various buttons as he began to prepare the landing gear to be lowered. 

Just when it seemed like they were pulling things back together something collided with the port side of the ship and sent the crew tumbling on impact. Luminara reached out and grabbed the door panel, regaining her footing quickly before snatching the folds of Barriss’ robes up in her fist to prevent her from slamming into Gree. When the initial impact faded red lights quickly sprung back to life and shouting erupted from deeper within the ship. 

“We’ve been hit!”

“Missile ripped a hole in the cargo bay!” 

“More fire incoming!”

That last shout caught Luminara’s attention more than the others and she barked out, “Get us to the ground now! We can not afford to lose these supplies!”

Barriss’ head snapped towards her master, somewhat startled by the raised voice but she knew just as well that they were caught in a bit of a predicament here. If they couldn’t get these supplies to the Twi’leks many people would starve, warriors and civilians alike. Ryloth would quickly be overrun if their numbers began to dwindle much farther below their current standings. This mission seemed simple enough, but it was truly life or death. 

It wasn’t long before more fire assaulted the ship and it didn’t matter that they were already trying to land, they were plummeting out of the air. All they could do at this point was brace themselves for impact and hope for the best. Though one look through the window at the densely wooded area told Luminara that this was going to be a hard landing with some potentially dire consequences. 

Without much thought, Luminara shoved her padawan into the open seat in front of them, forcing the security belt to latch into place before looking for a way to secure herself. A small grunt erupted from Barriss as the security belt tightened a bit harshly but she was more concerned by the fact that Luminara was still without safety. 

The last open seat was just off to the left and the Jedi Master was doing her best to climb into it as the ship lost altitude. Luminara heard Barriss call out to her and Gree shouting for everyone to prepare for a rough landing but it was too late. They crashed spectacularly into the ground a second later and Luminara found herself flying through the air, her body tossed like a rag doll. She was suspended for less than a second before impacting with the control panels Gree had been toying with all day. Luminara felt all the breath rush out of her lungs as she knocked into the solid unit and her head smashed into the monitor, shattering glass everywhere. 

All sound seemed to disappear as Luminara crumpled weightlessly to the ground. If Quinlan were here he would’ve told her that she’d got her bell rung with a sledgehammer, an experience he was very familiar with, and she would have been forced to agree. Ringing filled her ears as Luminara focused on pushing herself up to her knees, ignoring all the other injuries now plaguing her body. She’d been lucky she hadn’t been launched farther or even expelled from the ship when they’d crashed and she would take that for what it’s worth. 

When Luminara finally lifted her head and took in the scene around her she saw that everyone in the cabin had survived the crash, all in one piece and ripping off their security belts. Barriss seemed to be having a struggle with hers, pulling and pulling at it to no avail. It wasn’t long before she was using her saber to slash through the material, quickly dropping out of her seat so that she could rush to her master’s side. Olive hands rose to examine Luminara’s face, light touches feathering about the edges of the headpiece that was a little off-center. 

Luminara would freely admit that she was a bit concerned by the amount of blood coating Barriss’ fingers when she finally pulled away.

Her padawan asked a question and Luminara made out a muffled noise but the ringing was louder than any words could hope to be at the moment. Luminara gave herself a hard shake, hoping to rid some of the cloudiness from her mind and was surprised to find it actually worked a bit. Sound slowly began filtering back through her ears as Barriss asked again, “Master, where are you hurt? We need to make sure you’re okay to move before whoever shot us down comes back to finish us off.”

Luminara closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, assessing her bodily health and giving her brain a moment to recover from its trauma. The noise around her continued to rise and she knew that she would be well enough to carry on. She would see this mission through. 

Deep blue irises met their counterpart as the Jedi answered, “I’m alright, no life-threatening injuries for now. You’re right Barriss, we need to move to cover but we should remain close by. We need to find out if there’s any way we can salvage any of these supplies and why we’ve been attacked.”

The padawan did not look as though she trusted her master’s self-assessment of her injuries but stifled a protest in favor of offering a hand. Luminara gratefully took the hand and pulled herself to her feet, suppressing a groan that threatened to erupt from her lips. She was now uncomfortably aware of her bruised, possibly broken, ribs and several other injuries her body had sustained. But Barriss was eyeing her in concern and the men were waiting for their orders so she pushed through the waves of pain that made her vision briefly darken around the edges. 

“Commander, round up the survivors and head towards the woods on the backside of the ship. We’ll use the trees as cover and watch over the ship for the time being.” Luminara ordered as she brought herself up to her full height, trying to impress that she was still in charge. 

Gree’s eyes briefly flashed with concern as he met his general’s gaze but then it was gone and he was off to follow orders, sending Buzz and two others to gather the rest of the men while he and Draa remained with their Jedi. 

The four of them began moving, picking their way through the hull of the ship towards the cargo bay. Each step was pure agony for Luminara who was doing her best to control the pain through measured breaths but she forged on. Barriss walked behind her, intense gaze boring holes into her master’s back as she attempted to assess her injuries. 

Luminara knew it was pointless to try hiding her wounds when Barriss was already mentally diagnosing her, but it made her feel much better not to harp on them. It’s not like much could be done for them now anyway. 

Now was a time for action. 

Sure enough, when they reached the cargo bay there was indeed a giant hole in the wall. The supplies looked relatively unharmed though and Luminara almost couldn’t believe they hadn’t lost any of the boxes. The group pushed their way through the rows of cargo as they made their way towards the gaping hole that would be their exit. Then a thought occurred to Luminara as she glanced between the supplies and the forest life that beckoned them through the ship. 

She pulled her communicator from her belt and hailed Skywalker, hoping against hope that he would answer her call. After thirty seconds of strained silence and stares, the grainy images of Anakin and Ahsoka appeared before them. “Master Unduli? Is the council asking for an update?”

“Not this time, Skywalker.” Luminara tried to speak as calmly as possible but she was gritting her teeth and she knew it gave her a bit of an enraged appearance. “I am calling because my padawan and I are having a bit of trouble on our current mission and you are the closest Jedi to our coordinates. 

“It’s nothing that cannot be handled but if you do not hear from either Barriss or me in the next twenty-four hours you must call the council. You have to tell them to send a new transport of supplies to Ryloth because the last one never reached them.”

Anakin looked concerned but nodded silently, respecting the wishes of a Master who had earned his respect time and time again. Ahsoka, however, bounced nervously on her feet as she cast her gaze between master and padawan. “What happened to prevent you all from completing the transport to Ryloth?”

Barriss stepped to her master’s side and answered, “We were met by Separatist forces during our flight to Ryloth and were forced to divert to a planet called Shimia. We were shot down once we entered the atmosphere but do not worry, everything will be fine.”

That was most certainly not true, Luminara thought, but it seemed to appease the young Togruta. Barriss offered the other padawan a small smile which was quickly returned in stunning brilliance. It appeared that the two padawans had a deeper connection than Luminara once thought, which came as a bit of a surprise, but she was glad for it. She often worried that Barriss kept to herself too much, even Luminara had made time for the occasional night out with friends when she was her padawan’s age. 

“Thank you for the assistance, we will call you if we encounter any more complications but we must be leaving now.” The last comment seemed to be directed more at Luminara than the other two Jedi on the call so they said their brief farewells before hanging up. Once they were gone Luminara shoved the communicator back onto her hip and continued towards the opening once more. 

They carefully picked their way through the jagged hole in the ship before jumping to the ground. Luminara felt a jolt through her entire body as she hit the ground and let out the tiniest gasp as pain radiated through her once more. Her apprentice turned back to face her with an unsettled look on her face but she waved it off as she schooled her features back into neutrality.

Gree led them through the mess of downed trees and overturned rubble the ship had left in its wake before they broke through the tree line. The Jedi master took a quick look about their surroundings, the tree branches were definitely low enough to climb but the foliage was still dense enough to conceal their exact location. It would be good for reconnaissance and double as the perfect way to get the drop on their attackers. 

Before Luminara could open her mouth to voice that thought, Gree was already turning to her with a question of his own. “If we’re able to position ourselves throughout the higher tree branches I think we stand a good chance of getting the drop on these guys. What do you think General?”

The Jedi nodded, trying to offer a smile in approval but based on Draa’s reaction she assumed it came across as more of a grimace. No matter. They were set to climb, all they had to do was wait for the rest of their troop to make their way over from the ship.

Two tense minutes later, Buzz and a few others were emerging from the ship carrying as many weapons and amenities as they could on their backs. The others were quickly brought up to speed on the plan and before long they were spreading out along the tree line, hidden behind leaves and branches as they lay in wait for their targets.

As Luminara began climbing into her tree she became aware of a shuffling noise underneath and looked down to find her apprentice just a few branches below. “Barriss,” Luminara gritted out, “would it not be better if we were a bit more spaced out? Perhaps you should go join Buzz at the other end of our line.”

Barriss was more than aware that this was her master’s way of telling her to ‘ _ get lost _ ’ but she would have none of that. She could clearly see the way Luminara was struggling to take deep breaths and the not so subtle winces caused by what Barriss assumed was at least a mild concussion. There was no way she was letting her master out of sight when she ran the risk of falling out of the tree at any second. 

“I think that Buzz can handle himself master, much better than you can right now.” Luminara shot a stern glance down at her padawan as she reached for the next branch. The Jedi realized she must look as terrible as she felt for Barriss to talk back in such a manner. “Please master, just let me help you. You’re clearly in pain and we don’t know what kind of fight we are about to face.”

Pulling herself into a sitting position when she finally reached a decent height, Luminara considered her padawan. Or at least, she made it look as though she was. In truth she was actually grateful to have her apprentice beside her, it offered a great amount of comfort. Barriss lifted herself onto the branch directly across from her and swung a leg over, tightly gripping the tree with her thighs as she balanced out. 

“I suppose it would be cruel to push you out of the tree now.” Luminara deadpanned with a smirk. 

Barriss picked up on her master’s sarcasm and huffed a quiet laugh in response. Before she could come up with her own quip there was a rustling in the brush below them. Both Jedi pressed themselves flat against the tree trunk, making themselves as scarce as possible. As Luminara stared down into the undergrowth she let her hand drift down towards her lightsaber, palming the familiar weight in her hand as she readied to spring into action. 

The group that emerged below them was unlike any she had seen before and Luminara had to lean forward to get a better look at the spectacle. 

It seemed that twenty or so shuffling figures had come to investigate the wreckage of their crashed ship. The members of this hunting party had to be nearing seven feet tall with skin mottled grey and green. Two large white tusks were protruding from either side of their faces with a long trunk lodged between. They were most decidedly not the prettiest species Luminara had ever encountered in her travels. 

The Jedi glanced over to gauge her padawan’s reaction and found an expression very similar to her own. Barriss’ mouth was hanging slightly in awe at the new discovery but her nose was scrunched up in disgust. These newcomers also carried a foul smell about them that the Jedi could pick up even from this distance. 

As the party broke through the tree line and moved towards the ship Luminara looked towards the tree that Gree had climbed into. It took her a moment to pick him out amongst the leaves but soon enough she caught his attention. With a swift motion, she signaled for him to give the command to drop to the ground as quietly as possible. 

Their troops quickly began picking their way to the ground and only when they had all set foot on solid dirt again did the Jedi drop down from their hideaway. Luminara worked hard to stifle an inelegant grunt as her feet hit the ground and she teetered for a moment. Barriss’ hand found her elbow, grounding her once more and she took brief comfort in the small touch. 

After a second Luminara shook off the contact and motioned for Barriss to follow her as she crept into the clearing. The clones remained in their positions, hidden but still close enough to lend aid. 

Luminara cleared her throat as she and her padawan closed in on the party. The creatures jumped and turned around to face them, raising an assortment of blasters and spears in their direction. Barriss’ hand flew to the belt where her lightsaber was strapped but Luminara simply raised her hands in a placating manner. “We are the crew of this ruined ship, which I assume you all had a hand in damaging. I request to know the reason as to why we were shot down, as well as a new ship so that we may leave your planet.”

The creatures looked between each other, crystal blue eyes dancing back and forth with uncertainty. Before Luminara got the chance to speak again one of the members spoke up in broken basic. “Invader ship. Bring to king. Survivors good. Make for show.”

As they spoke, each sentence was terminated with a chuff or a low snort. Luminara lowered her hands and let them drift towards her saber as she processed their words. ‘Make for show’ wasn’t exactly settling well with her and one glance to her left told her Barriss felt the same. 

As discreetly as possible she tucked her left hand behind her back and signaled for the men to begin their approach towards the clearing, hoping that Gree would catch the motion. “I will take audience with your king, but only to find suitable transport off of your planet. We are not meant to be here and would very much like to be out of your way before—“

As Luminara spoke a branch cracked loudly somewhere in the undergrowth and she knew that whatever tenuous peace they had gained at that moment was over. The creatures raised their weapons and the Jedi master was surprised to discover that the blasters were only pointed at her and Barriss to hold them in place while the spears became the real problem. With a great show of strength and an unexpected amount of speed, the creatures launched the spears through the air and into the tree line. Cries rang out as clones were skewered behind them, blaster bolts began firing in response but few hitting their designated targets as of yet. 

Luminara felt the pain of her injuries subside as adrenaline began coursing through her veins as it did in the moments before every fight. Before she and Barriss could react in any manner though, there was a buzzing noise from the midst of the pack and Luminara knew instinctively that their situation was about to get so much worse. She couldn’t quite see where the noise was coming from but it was most definitely electrical, which spelled nothing but trouble for the future. As Luminara craned her neck for a better view a loud  _ crack _ rang out through the crowd. 

Something about those sounds sounded so familiar in Luminara’s mind, she’d heard them before but couldn’t pin the source. It would have to be dealt with later though, right now she had to focus on unsheathing her saber and jumping into action alongside Barriss. 

They leaped at the men pinning them down together, slashing in practiced synchronicity. When Luminara looked up to find the next opponent she saw a spear flying towards her and was forced to roll out of its way. 

With practiced ease, Luminara sprung out of her roll and emerged with her lightsaber in a defensive stance. She took a deep breath as she waited for the next onslaught to begin, tuning out the chaos of the rest of the fight as she concentrated her energy on the four figures in front of her. As her padawan and the remainder of her men fought around her, Luminara’s mind cleared of all thought except how to defeat her opponents. Normally she would have easily pushed through them but she had already learned not to underestimate these men. Or women? She was still a little too unclear on  _ what _ they were to even think about gender. 

As they danced back and forth for a moment, Luminara caught sight of Barriss slashing through her own fight. She was more than holding her own and the Jedi master thought that if she stalled long enough, Barriss might even finish these guys off for her. 

Another crack rang out through the air and Luminara cocked her head to find its source. As she glanced around the utterly chaotic clearing the Jedi finally caught sight of what had caused that crack, along with the buzzing from before, and she immediately regretted her choice to ignore it. Without any more delay, Luminara jumped back into action in an attempt to make her way across the clearing. 

The Jedi shoved a hand out and she Forced two of the creatures into the side of the ship, not bothering to watch as they crumpled to the ground. Luminara dashed forward and slung her saber around in an arc, driving it through the blaster arm of one attacker before coming back around to drive her blade through its chest. She heaved a breath as she pulled her blade out, the pain of her injuries starting to leak back into her consciousness and leaving her a bit breathless. 

A blaster bolt flew by her shoulder and Luminara rounded on her final opponent. The figure stood tall as it bore down on her crouching form but it lacked some of the speed of its compatriots which gave her the advantage. Luminara twisted her foot into the ground to steady herself and then sprung into the air, flipping gracefully to land at the creature’s backside. Without hesitation, she pressed forward with her saber and cut the creature down in a flash of green. 

As she struggled to take a deep gulp of air, Luminara frantically cast her eyes around the clearing as she tried to locate the weapon. After a second of searching, she saw one of the creatures striding confidently through the field, eyes locked on Barriss who was entirely unaware of the threat. Her apprentice was too absorbed in her fight to notice the incoming menace. The one who held the weapon that Luminara had been disturbed to find amidst the fight and was now causing her a great deal of stress as he began to draw it back. 

It was an electrified whip, a slaver’s weapon, and it was about to come cracking down on a completely unsuspecting Barriss. 

“Barriss!” Luminara cried out as she threw her hands forward, using the Force to knock the creature through the air. It worked and she watched as they were launched back into the tree line with a high pitched squeal. She cast her eyes to her padawan who was rising from where she had dove away from an incoming spear. Barriss’ eyes tracked between her master and the hole in the shrubs that their enemy had just been launched through, nodding her thanks once she puzzled out what had happened.

Before Barriss had the chance to say anything back to her master her eyes were widening and she was calling, “Master behind you!”

The warning came too late. Before Luminara had a chance to process her padawan’s words a great weight was crashing into her back. One of the creatures she had previously Forced into the remains of their ship had recovered from her initial attack and was swiftly tackling Luminara into the ground. 

Luminara’s eyes bulged as she heard a crack and felt something akin to fire light up in her chest. If she had thought her ribs only bruised before, there were now a few that were most definitely broken. 

The weight of the creature seemed unbearable as her body was slammed into the ground, ripping the air out of Luminara’s lungs on impact. The Jedi felt her lightsaber roll out of her grasp as her arms were pinned beneath their combined weight, leaving her defenseless for the moment as she struggled to breathe.

Her opponent then lifted itself to begin restraining her and Luminara saw her opportunity. Using her newly freed legs, she hooked a foot around the creature’s boot and turned herself until they were rolling across the dirt. Round and round they went as Luminara used her remaining strength to desperately try and gain the upper hand while avoiding impaling herself on a tusk. 

After a few seconds of spinning end over end, Jedi and slaver grunting as they repeatedly impacted the ground while grappling with each other, Luminara finally gained the high ground. Their momentum slowed and when they stopped rolling the Jedi emerged on top. As quick as the fight started, it was over just the same when Luminara summoned her lightsaber back to her hand and ignited the blade in the chest of the slaver with a hoarse shout.

The Jedi slid off of its chest and lurched onto her heels, trying to muster the strength to get on her feet once more. Before she had the chance to catch her breath, Luminara felt a hand circle around her bicep and she jumped in surprise, head snapping upwards only to find her padawan hovering above her. Barriss’ expression was full of concern as she pulled her master back to her feet, grip tightening as Luminara stumbled into her grasp. 

“Master?” Barriss questioned, her voice a clear reflection of how worried she was.

Luminara clasped a hand around Barriss’ forearm to steady herself, swiping at the mix of sweat and blood that marked her brow with the other. “We are never,” she breathed, “accepting a ‘simple mission’ again.”

Barriss let out a light scoff as her master’s words reached her ears. Most assumed Jedi Master Luminara Unduli to be, more or less, a stickler for the rules and a serious stick in the mud. However, Barriss knew the truth, the height of her master’s comedy and sometimes even vulgarity came out in the heat of battle and the quiet that ensued afterwards as the adrenaline left her system. Granted, just because she took the opportunity, didn’t mean that her jokes were always good. Something both Barriss and Gree could attest to.

And it was never to be assumed that Luminara was above pulling a prank when she was bored in space. The whole squad had fallen victim to their general’s mostly harmless antics at some point or another. Barriss still checked her blankets for spiders every night since Luminara’s last practical joke. 

“I’m sure the council will be thrilled to hear that master,” Barriss grunted as she slung one of Luminara’s arms around her neck before grabbing at her waist. As the fight in her faded, the Jedi Master became nothing but dead weight in her padawan’s arms as Barriss attempted to carry her away from the carnage.

Barriss made it about twenty feet before she stopped and called out, “Gree!” Her master was getting heavier with every step and if they were going to make it anywhere she would need help.

The fighting had completely stopped already and a moment of quiet passed before the Commander’s helmeted head popped up from the undergrowth off to their right. Without a second’s hesitation the helmet came off and Gree was jogging over to where they stood, immediately taking up a position on the General’s left side to support her. “You two look like you’ve had a rough go of it.”

“Hm,” Barriss hummed as they began walking towards the spot that the Commander had emerged from a second ago, Luminara’s feet dragging as she struggled to keep up even with their slow pace. The padawan peeked around her master and took in Gree’s armor which was covered in mud and an assortment of dents she was sure hadn’t been there an hour ago. “Speak for yourself, Commander.”

The man shot her a smirk and was going to retort when a groan interrupted their conversation. It was coming from the bushes they were headed towards and Barriss asked, “Whose left Gree?”

Gree grimaced over the general’s head. “I’m afraid it’s just me, Draa and Buzz now Commander.” 

Barriss’ heart clenched as she watched her friend deflate with his announcement. It weighed on all of them to lose the ones they fought beside but Barriss and Gree probably felt that weight the most these days. Before Barriss could offer her condolences she felt her master’s arm tighten around her neck and pull her closer. “Barriss,” Luminara murmured.

“Yes, master, what is it?”

Luminara heaved a shaky breath, “Not safe here… need to keep moving. Slavers.” 

A chill ran down Barriss’ spine, she didn’t need to be told twice. She knew that their situation had just become much more dire.

As her master’s grip loosened once more, Barriss craned her neck to look around the clearing. The bodies of their attackers were still splayed out where they had fallen but when the padawan did a quick count she came up with only seventeen figures behind them. She stepped closer towards her master and counted one more time, still only spotting seventeen. Even with the one Luminara had launched into the woods, there were still two missing that Barriss could’ve sworn she had felled herself.

“I think we’d best gather the men and be leaving quickly Gree, I have a feeling our fight is far from over.” The soldier nodded his understanding as he glanced around the clearing.

“If we’re going to make it anywhere fast I suggest you lead the way and let me take the General,” Gree commented and Barriss knew that he was right but she didn’t like the thought of leaving her master’s side while the woman was clearly fighting to remain conscious.

Reluctantly she slipped out from under the Jedi’s arm and watched as Gree scooped the Mirialan woman into his arms. Luminara let out a noise in protest but it died in her throat once her feet left the ground. Barriss watched as her master’s face scrunched in pain from the position change while wishing they were somewhere she could begin to heal her.

Before Barriss could think about anything else there was a rustling from within the woods to their east and both Commanders tensed. Barriss turned to the soldier and gave him a small shove towards the bushes they had been heading towards. “You need to go now Gree. I will hold them off but you need to get Master Unduli out of here.”

Gree opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by a spear flying over their heads and embedding itself in the ground behind them. Barriss unsheathed her lightsaber once more and turned to face the direction it had come from as she commanded, “Go now Gree!”

With a solemn nod, Gree murmured “Good luck, Commander,” before taking off and disappearing into the undergrowth.  _ May the Force be with you _ , Barriss thought as she looked to the woods her master and Commander had escaped into.

After a moment’s pause, Barriss drew her attention once more to the woods ahead of her as she backed towards a piece of debris large enough to provide cover. As she ducked behind the metal, Barriss took a breath to center herself. She would never admit it but knowing that slavers were the ones pursuing their group had made her more than a little anxious.

She waited for the oncoming attack in silence, preparing for whatever was about to emerge from the woods as her eyes flitted back and forth across the horizon. The forest seemed to have gone silent, the breeze had stilled and Barriss could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She was ready.

That’s when she heard blaster bolts start to ring out from the woods. From the same direction that Gree had headed. 

Without a second thought, Barriss vaulted over the debris and sprinted towards the clamor of the fight. She crashed through the bushes, slashing through the plants in her way as she dashed through the woods. There was no way she was losing anyone to slavers today. 

As Barriss closed in on the sound she heard a loud crack followed by her master’s pained screams. The padawan lost her footing as the sound filled her ears and she tripped on a root, sprawling out on the forest floor before scrambling back to her feet. She took off in a sprint once again, more determined than ever to get to her master as the screams continued.

Hearing those screams was indescribably horrible, Barriss had never heard her master make such a terrible sound, but the sudden cessation of the cries was even worse. Barriss knew she was rapidly closing in when the forest went silent once more and she felt her stomach flip. She couldn’t slow down to imagine what had happened though, not when she was so close.

Another few strides and Barriss burst into a small glade that was a bit overcrowded. It seemed more of the slavers had come to help their friends as about ten of the ugly creatures stood before her. Barriss noticed the clones laid out behind them, all three men face down on the ground and unmoving. Her heart lurched once more but she tore her eyes away to look for her master. 

Barriss looked to the left and what she saw lit a fire in her, anger bubbling in her stomach. Master Unduli was collapsed on the ground and the slavers were nudging at her with their feet and the butt end of their spears to see if she was unconscious. What was enraging the padawan, however, was the two tears in the back of her master’s robes that exposed the damage they had done. Two wide lashes on her back oozed streams of deep red blood, marring olive green skin, and Barriss easily traced the wounds back to the whip held by the slaver in front of her. 

“You will pay for that,” Barriss announced as she ignited her saber once more. The slavers seemed to realize that they had perhaps made a mistake and leaned back from her weapon in fear.

It didn’t matter much to the padawan at that point. 

She sprung into action, Forcing the small group standing over Luminara back into the trees before turning to deal with the others. Barriss immediately leaped towards the man holding the whip, slicing her blade through his leg to bring him down to her height before spearing his chest. She pulled her blade out with a grunt and turned to face the next two opponents rushing towards her. 

With practiced grace, Barriss jumped over the slavers and twisted to face their backs. With a quick jab she struck through the chest of the first slaver but the other was quicker to react. He grabbed at his spear and swung it in Barriss’ direction, forcing the padawan to roll to the side. She immediately sprung out of the tumble and grabbed the spear with her free hand, locking the slaver’s arms in place. Without hesitation, Barriss arced her lightsaber through the air and down onto his arms, slicing them off at the elbows. 

She spun to face the next wave but was surprised to find something wrapping itself around her arm. Barriss cried out as the end of the whip caught her bicep and gripped tight around the muscle. A quick glance around revealed that one of the creatures had grabbed the whip from its fallen friend and was very handy with the weapon. The slaver stared Barriss down for a moment before she watched it bring a thumb down on a button on the side and she knew she was in trouble. 

Electricity danced its way up the whip and through the padawan’s body as she bit back an anguished shout. Her limbs felt like they were on fire and she was helpless to do anything except tremble as the shockwaves rippled through her. When the slaver finally released the button Barriss dropped to her hands and knees as she attempted to take in ragged breaths. 

Just when she finally felt like she had gotten a decent gulp of air the slaver pressed the button once more and Barriss shrieked as pain courses through her body. The creature let the whip run its course until Barriss’ limbs gave out and she collapsed to the ground with a grunt. 

As Barriss’ world faded to black her last thought was that she wished they had told Ahsoka and Master Skywalker to come looking for them sooner. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luminara and Bariss learn more about the slavers and contemplate some important things as they think about what they're about to face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so my intention in writing this piece is to work with my preferred vision of Jedi relationships, including a much more familiar and loving one between Bariss and Luminara. I realize that this isn't canon compliant but that's not what fanfic is for so get ready for a whole bunch of softness between these two and most of the other Jedi!
> 
> (if that's not something you're about then don't read, that's totally chill :) )

A sour smell filled Luminara’s nose as she struggled back to the conscious world. If a bantha rolled around in a pile of week-old clone undergarments, this is what she imagined it would smell like. The stench was absolutely horrid but it played a large part in helping Luminara drag herself into the real world. 

There was an acute pounding in her head and a dull ache that seemed to wind through her entire body. Her ribs seemed to be feeling the worst of it, a blunt pain pushing back against her with every breath. She was definitely going to need a bacta bath when they returned to Coruscant. 

As her senses returned, Luminara began to crack open her eyes in hopes of taking in her surroundings. She was somewhat surprised to find that the immediate area was almost as dark as the black of unconsciousness, aside from a dim red glow. 

The Jedi flexed her hands by her side, reaching for her ever-present lightsaber to provide a better source of light only to find it gone. That got her moving. Luminara lifted her head and began to shakily push herself off of the ground only to have two firm hands pressed down on her shoulders.

“Don’t try to move yet master, you’re still recovering from several injuries.” Barriss’ quiet voice whispered into the darkness. 

When Luminara’s eyes finally adjusted to the lack of light she realized that her padawan’s face was hovering above hers once more. Even through the dark, it was apparent that Barriss was spent, the heavy bags under her eyes and the deeply ingrained frown spoke to several days without sleep or peace. 

Luminara sluggishly nodded and lowered herself back to the ground with a grunt. “I feel as though I just went twenty rounds with Master Vos. What happened?”

Her padawan leaned back against the stone wall with a sigh, shrugging as she thought back on everything that had happened the past day. Where to even begin? 

“Do you remember our flight to Ryloth?”

Images of hyperspace and blinking lights flew through Luminara’s mind. “Yes. We were attacked so we were forced to divert to... Shimia.”

“Correct. We thought we could land and regroup but we were shot down upon entry and you got hurt pretty badly.” Barriss glanced towards her master’s ribs with a wince. “This cell is cutting off my connection to the Force but I did what I could for your head and the broken ribs. We’re going to need to get you to a medical station sooner rather than later. I’m worried that you have a concussion master, amongst many other concerning injuries.”

“I see,” Luminara’s eyes fluttered shut as the rest of the day began to return to her. “After the crash, the slavers came and we fought with them... you did well.”

Her master’s compliment brought a light blush to Barriss’ cheeks and she thanked the Force for the dim lighting. “Thank you, master. Yes, we fought with them, and you were injured again in the fight. More slavers came and Gree left with you while I stayed to fight. Except... it wasn’t me they followed.”

Barriss’ voice hitched slightly and Luminara looked to her padawan in concern, brow creasing as she tried to remember what could have possibly caused such distress. There wasn’t much to pull from her memories right now, just hazy images, but there was something accompanying them. Something sharp and biting. 

Something... like that damn electric whip. 

Luminara’s back began to sting as fragmented memories came rushing back to her. Falling from Gree’s arms when the soldiers were attacked. Attempting to stand and fight. Searing pain as the whip broke skin. Barriss standing tall in the clearing before everything went to black. 

When she glanced up at her padawan once more Luminara was surprised to find tears silently streaking down tattooed skin as Barriss tried to hide her face. It was so rare for the girl to express herself in such a manner that for a moment the Jedi was stunned, unsure of how to react. After a second of hesitation, she quickly gathered her wits and fell back onto the comforts she used to provide when Barriss was only a child with a large capacity for emotion and no clue as to how to handle them. Luminara lifted a hand in the dark, gently pulling her padawan to face her before wiping at the tear tracks with her thumb. 

“You have been through so much in a very short time, little one. It is okay to be overwhelmed, take a moment to process this feeling.” Luminara let her hand fall away from Barriss’ face, assuming that her touch was somewhat unwanted. This had once been such a common ritual when Barriss had first joined her side, but as she had matured the padawan began to shy away from her touch, not wanting to seem weak or incapable. It had crushed Luminara’s heart the first time Barriss swatted her hand away, but the Jedi had known such a day would come. 

However, today was no such day. 

Seconds after pulling away she felt lithe fingers blindly chasing the touch, a calloused hand slipping into her own to seek comfort.

A soft sniffle sounded in the quiet as Barriss’ cries began in earnest, shoulders shaking as puffs of air left her mouth. Almost immediately, Barriss began berating herself, “I’m acting like such a child, tears are for younglings who scrape their knees in the training yard.”

Luminara gave a light squeeze to their clasped hands, gently smiling when she felt a weak pulse in return. “Younglings may cry over scraped knees, but warriors still shed tears for companions lost and hard-fought battles. Win or lose. Especially when said warriors have been constantly on the move for the past few weeks with very little time to rest or recover from all that has happened.”

A hiccup came in response as Barriss swiped at her tears with her empty hand. “I’ll be fine, it’s just— it’s been a hard day. Gree and Draa and Buzz,” Barriss sucked in a sharp breath as she whispered, “they’re all dead. For a moment I wasn’t even sure if you were alive or not. I stayed behind to give you all a chance to run but if I had been there to help then maybe—“

“Barriss,” Luminara chided softly. “You cannot be concerned with ‘maybe’s’ and ‘what if’s’. You’ll never live if you remain in a world of possibilities, my padawan. You have been so brave and I have seen every moment of it. I am proud of the fight that you put up. Do not take our current situation as an indication of failure, we will survive this.”

The padawan let out a shaky breath as her master’s words washed over her, the calming tone steadying frazzled nerves like a soothing balm. Luminara knew that Barriss had been left to sit alone with her thoughts too long and that was where this outburst had come from. Not that it wasn’t warranted, she had just been through more in a span of two weeks than some Jedi dealt within months. 

A few more seconds passed before Barriss’ grip weakened and her hand retreated into the folds of her robes. She offered a small smile to her master before beginning to work on reconstructing that carefully crafted mask of neutrality she normally wore. Luminara knew this was one of those moments they would probably never speak of again but she smiled anyway, grateful for the chance to provide comfort to her stoic padawan. 

A thought occurred to the Jedi in that same moment, however, and Luminara asked, “Barriss, how long have we been in here?”

“I’m not exactly sure master,” Barriss conceded. “If I had to guess I would say it’s morning now. Some guards walked by earlier for a shift change.”

Her padawan vaguely motioned towards the hall in front of them. Luminara struggled to pull herself up onto her elbows, trying to get a better look at the corridor. She was fairly certain she could make out two shadows a couple of yards away, just as large as the men who had attacked them yesterday. 

“Have you learned anything else?” Luminara asked as she pushed herself into a sitting position. The cuts on her back were screaming at her to stop moving but she just grit her teeth against the sensation. 

Barriss shifted to a kneeling position, hands hovering by her side, ready to assist her master. “I’m fairly certain we’re underground. When the shift change happened one of the guards stopped at our cell to gloat. He said something about us never seeing the light of day again without their permission.”

Luminara nodded along as she absorbed the information. If their population was underground then that would explain why they hadn’t seen any trace of civilization during their descent. 

“Also,” Barriss added, “I’ve found out that this race is called the Pacithhip. That guard went on and on about their mightiness.”

A smirk formed on Luminara’s lips as she turned to face her padawan, “Making friends, are we?”

“Not exactly,” She could tell that Barriss had to work hard to suppress an eye roll. Between that and the blatant back talk yesterday, Luminara had to wonder where this new attitude was coming from. Perhaps her friendship with Padawan Tano was doing more to tease Barriss out of her shell than initially thought. 

Luminara was happy for it as Barriss elaborated, “It was more like he was taunting me about the superiority of their people. He was extremely proud to have helped bring down two Jedi. Said the king will make him rich.”

“Hm,” Luminara hummed as she thought back to their initial conversation with the slavers. “That’s the second time we’ve heard of this king. The slaver we talked to in the field said that survivors were good. He said something along the lines of us making for a good show.”

Barriss squirmed, uncomfortable with the implication surrounding the words. “I don’t think we should stick around to meet his royal highness, master.” 

The Jedi Master nodded and moved to get to her feet. “Agreed. Any ideas as to where our lightsabers are?”

Everything in Luminara’s body protested the movement but Barriss latched onto her forearm, offering support when it was needed as she wobbled to her feet. There was a shared wince when one of Luminara’s knees began to buckle but the Mirialan quickly righted herself. 

When Luminara was confident she wouldn’t fall flat on her face if she wasn’t being supported she gave Barriss a pat on the hand. The padawan released her grip and took a step backward, letting Luminara stand on her own two feet. Then she answered, “I haven’t a clue, they were gone when I woke up. Perhaps those guards might have some idea?”

“We know exactly where they are, but they won’t be any help to you now  _ Jedi _ .” A deep voice rumbled from outside their cell. Their title dripped with acid as it slipped from the mouth of this newcomer. 

Luminara leaned towards the bars of the cell, careful to avoid the netting that cut off their connection to the Force as she peered down the hall. A new Pacithhip had emerged from between the guards, dressed in deep blue robes that trailed behind him as he shuffled towards their cell. Their guards seemed to straighten up quite a bit as he brushed past so the Jedi assumed he was of some importance. 

As the newcomer stopped in front of their cell Luminara took a step forward, unwilling to give any more ground to their captors. The man turned to get a better look at his captives, eyes scanning up and down both Mirialan women. Luminara could only assume he was trying to figure out what sort of price they would catch for him. 

He snorted and said, “It is not every day we acquire commodities such as yourselves here on Shimia. It is especially rare that creatures of your... talent, fall into our grasp.”

If his trunk hadn’t been in the way of his mouth, Luminara figured that he would’ve sneered at them.

“If I had it my way you two would be put on the market immediately, there are clients with rather deep pockets who would pay a fortune to see you answer to them. However, the king has decided that your lives will instead become devoted to our planet. No matter. Either way, it will be quite pleasing to watch.”

Barriss tensed next to her master, crossing her arms over her chest in a defiant manner as she questioned, “And if we refuse to play along with whatever show your king is planning?”

A crack rang out through the air and sparks of electricity flew through the air as a whip lashed out behind the Pacithhip. One of the guards leered at the Jedi as they flinched in reaction, tusks glinting dangerously in the scant light. “Let’s just say… it won’t end well for you.”

The Pacithhip motioned for the guards to step forward, “now come, you are to be presented to the king for inspection.” 

The cell door was ripped open and before either Jedi could defend themselves Force resistant handcuffs were being slapped on their wrists. Luminara’s hands flexed at the sensation, or lack thereof, as the emptiness settled once more in her chest. It was uncomfortable for something that had always been so constant in her life to suddenly be ripped away. 

“Ready for transport Lord Phet.” The guard announced as he shoved at Barriss who was doing her absolute best to appear unbothered but Luminara caught the glint in her eyes, saw the ire rising in her. 

Phet turned his back on them, striding down the hallway adjacent from their cell as he continued to blabber on. He was telling some sort of story about their capture but Luminara chose to tune him out, taking in their surroundings instead. Based on the structure of the halls they walked through she had to agree with Barriss’ assessment that they were likely underground. As they continued the floors slowly dropped, indicating that they were heading still deeper below the surface. Perhaps they were even inside one of the mountains.

The most unsettling features she caught sight of were a few abstract art pieces plastered to the walls, some of which appeared to be made from leather and bones. 

Additionally, there didn’t seem to be many security measures aside from a few standing guards throughout the halls either. Something to remember if and when they attempted to escape. 

It would be a difficult task, however, as the whole complex seemed to be an unending maze. Luminara was doing her best to remember the turns they were taking and hoped Barriss was doing the same. It was proving to be a difficult task as all the tunnels were more or less the same. And even if they did manage to remember this path, it would only lead them back to their cell. They needed to bide their time until a route could be found back to the surface.

Moments later they were taking a sharp left turn and the tunnel was opening up into a chamber. A royal chamber if the throne sitting at the back of the room was anything to go by. 

Sitting atop the throne was the most colorful Pacithhip that Luminara had seen. The king’s skin was a deep scarlet, almost blood red, with large golden tusks protruding from his head. His robes seemed to be a much finer material than that of his subjects, vibrant colors interwoven into dancing patterns. Another distinct feature of his was the fact that he stood a whole head taller than any of the other men in the room, probably close to eight feet tall. 

As they approached the center of the room the king released a few snorts, which the Jedi interpreted to be a laugh. “Master Jedi! It is an honor to be in your presence, as I’m sure it is for you to be in mine.”

The guards gave both women a swift kick to the knees, forcing them to bow before the monarch. Luminara had to fight to suppress an eye roll at the antics as Barriss released her own quiet scoff. The king called down from his throne, “Your arrival is most fortunate, really, you could not have come at a better time. Isn’t that right?”

The question was directed to the room at large and the rest of the Pacithhip all nodded vigorously in response, trunks bouncing with the motion. 

“Your majesty,” Luminara cut in as she pushed herself back to her feet. “There has been a grave misunderstanding here and if you would—“

“Ah my dear, you are quite mistaken,” the King practically purred. “There is absolutely nothing to be misunderstood.  _ You _ landed on my planet.  _ You _ killed some of my best scouts. And now  _ you _ are going to pay the price.”

“We ‘landed’ on your planet because you shot us out of the sky!” Barriss protested. 

The king tutted, “That is of little consequence now that you are in King Shan’s court. Fear not, your lives will not go to waste. You two are set to compete in our tournament of champions tomorrow morning. It will be a legendary fight! Jedi Knights pit against our reigning champs in a fight for their lives.”

Luminara glanced warily towards her padawan. A look of unease passed between them, neither particularly thrilled by the idea of becoming unwilling participants in a gladiator-style competition. 

King Shan descended from his throne and strode towards the Jedi. His eyes tracked all about as though he were trying to take in every single detail about them. The king began to circle around them, muttering things like “strong legs for sure” and “pitifully drab robes” as he assessed the women. 

If Luminara was being honest it made her extremely uncomfortable to be appraised in such a manner, but nevertheless she held steady.

When he stopped in front of them once more the King clapped giddily, “Yes, I believe you will make for a most excellent show indeed. My subjects will adore the fresh faces, it’s a rare thing for us to see new competitors who actually stand a chance.”

Luminara opened her mouth to attempt at a bargain once more but King Shan waved his hand in her face dismissively. As he walked back to his throne the King called, “Guards, return them to their cell. Rest up Jedi, you’ll need your strength for the morning.”

Guards advanced on them once more, prodding the Jedi in their sides to steer them back towards the outer halls. Master and padawan held their heads high as they were quickly escorted back to their dim cell, refusing to appear anything other than strong. 

This time the guards didn’t bother removing their bonds when they deposited the Jedi back into the cell. They shut the door with a hard slam that seemed to shake Luminara’s bones. 

Only when the guards moved back down the hall to assume their positions did the Jedi Master let her shoulders slump. A ragged breath escaped her mouth as she commented, “It is not lost on me that our current predicament is not entirely dissimilar to the first battle of Geonosis.”

“How so, master?” Barriss queried. 

“Think about it Barriss,” Luminara said as she backed up to lean against the stone wall. “Master and padawan captured. Otherwise overlooked planet. A fight for our lives in front of spectators. I’ll never hear the end of this from Kenobi.”

Barriss hummed her understanding, she remembered that battle well and could now see the parallels quite clearly. It made her stomach flip.

The cold temperature of the wall she leaned against had started to seep into Luminara’s bones, sucking away what remained of her strength. As the familiar dull ache returned her legs slowly slid out from under her, sending her body into a controlled descent until she was sitting on the floor. 

“Master, it’s been about twenty-four hours since we spoke to Master Skywalker and Ahsoka,” Barriss commented. “Perhaps they will come looking for us?”

Her padawan’s words were optimistic, but her tone belied that she had no faith in such an occurrence. Luminara didn’t either. However, she nodded as though the idea was plausible if only to give Barriss some comfort. “Perhaps.”

Barriss fell silent once more before retreating to her own corner of the cell, lost in thought. For her part, Luminara settled back against the hard stone and tried to find a comfortable position to rest. Had she been in a better condition Luminara would have knelt to meditate on the entanglement of thoughts clouding her mind but for now, she would have to settle for an uncomfortable doze.

She was worried.

The notion of competing in a ‘tournament of champions’ in her current state wasn’t exactly optimal. Luminara would fight to her very last breath, of that she had no doubt, but she was concerned about how she would protect Barriss. Her padawan was a strong warrior, capable of fighting her own battles and winning on just about any day, Luminara had unwavering faith in that. Except the girl was currently overworked and exhausted, being pulled in too many directions to adequately focus in a fight like the one ahead of them. When Barriss got like this she tended to let her guard slip and her endurance failed, making her an easy target for someone with overwhelming strength or speed.

Without the Force or their sabers, in addition to being injured, Luminara knew she would be hard-pressed to protect them both. But she would do her absolute best. She imagined their competition would be fierce and whether or not they would be provided weapons remained to be seen. The odds weren’t exactly great but they weren’t impossible.

It would have to be enough.

As her eyes drifted shut the Jedi’s thoughts drifted towards the possibility that tomorrow might be her final fight. Normally death was not something that she would worry over, it was a prospect that Jedi faced every day as they hopped from battle to battle in this war without end. Luminara Unduli did not fear death, she even welcomed the thought of one day joining the cosmic Force. However, she had been hoping that day wouldn’t come for a very, very long time.

Luminara had too much to live for right now to die on some backwater planet in an insignificant fight. She had to live to see this war through to the end, to see peace in the galaxy once more.

She had to live for her padawan. Barriss Offee was a strong soul, brave and compassionate, so full of life. Her apprentice was on the verge of greatness and Luminara had to ensure that she would live to realize that. Luminara also had to make sure she would be around to see all the amazing things that she knew Barriss to be capable of. 

She had to live for the Jedi. Not just The Jedi, but the individual Jedi that had been the only family she had ever known. Luminara had to survive to run into Shaak Ti when she was visiting the temple so that they could spend several hours catching up on every detail in their lives. She had to survive to be a part of Quinlan Vos’ shenanigans that she pretended to loathe but secretly enjoyed every second of. She had to live to be able to share meals with Aayla Secura and hear about the journeys her knighthood was taking her on. Luminara had to survive to see her oldest friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, at least once more.

Luminara shifted positions, grumbling as she tried to shake away the feelings suddenly rising in her stomach. 

No, not feelings. 

She had dealt with these pesky flutterings long ago, back when they were just padawans running through the halls of the Jedi Temple. Stamped them out as a good Jedi does, replacing a silly crush with something one could call reserved respect. She had gone  _ so _ many years without those damned butterflies in her stomach, who gave them the right to return right now?

Luminara supposed that the prospect of one’s imminent demise tended to dredge up feelings such as those. The unresolved ones that kept her awake some nights. 

When they had first met as younglings there had been something about the human boy that had drawn the Mirialan girl to him. Perhaps it was his playfulness or that teasing smirk he had mastered by the time they were eight. Whatever it was, it had lead to a wonderful friendship. A smile formed on her lips as she thought back on their days spent together holed away in the archives, the afternoons in the training yard, and the nights sneaking into each other’s quarters so they could talk for hours more. 

Even though they often left her rather somber, they were some of her fondest memories.

Everything had changed when they turned twelve and both became padawans. Obi-Wan went to train under a master who had been kind and encouraging and the boy had thrived. Meanwhile, Luminara’s master had been a bit cruel and overly strict. Day after day he had hammered into her that connections were a weakness so Luminara distanced herself from her friends, including Obi-Wan. That emotions were to be suppressed rather than released and Luminara’s once bright smile dimmed day by day until it was all but extinguished. That to be a Jedi was to be solitary and so Luminara rarely emerged from her quarters when they were on Coruscant, ignoring her friends who were growing more and more concerned.

Luminara shuddered as she thought back on her years as a padawan. In those days it had seemed as though there would never be a light at the end of the tunnel. Then one day Master Yoda has announced she would be completing her trial early and within days she had ascended to knighthood, free of her master’s grip. It had saved her. 

Until recently she had assumed that the council had taken notice of the depression Luminara had fallen into and decided to take action. Then one day about two months ago Quinlan had told her something that had left her speechless, it had been Obi-Wan that had saved her. Apparently they had run into each other after a particularly difficult mission Luminara had just returned from, one where everything that went wrong was somehow her fault which had resulted in some disciplining and isolation. Luminara didn’t even remember this but the other padawan had attempted to speak to her, just to catch up, but she had merely trudged by him with vacant eyes. Obi-Wan had run to the council after that, pleading with them to realize that one of their own was suffering rather than learning, to do something. 

She and Obi-Wan had been growing close once more in recent years, as Luminara finally shook off the last of her master’s preachings. Their friendship had become very important to her but this revelation had left the Jedi reeling, those damned feelings which she had managed to keep away during their renewed friendship returned in full force. Luminara had no idea how to cope with it so she had decided to simply ignore the problem.

Luminara wished that she had more time to sort out these confusing feelings. Luminara wished she had more time for a lot of things.

Her musings had finally worn her out though and soon she began to drift off to sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, stealing one last glance at her padawan curled up in the corner. She would find a way for them to survive the fight. Luminara would fight for their tomorrow and every day after that until she had no more fight left.

  
  
  
  


A few minutes passed before Barriss heard her master’s breathing even out and she finally fell asleep. The padawan released a sigh of relief, she’d been worried about the strain of the day on Luminara’s wounds. It felt silly to worry about that though, considering the serious strain tomorrow would bring. 

Barriss Offee was a realist. She knew that there was a chance that the morning might bring her final fight. The padawan was confident that she could hold her own in this barbaric tournament but there were two things troubling her. The first was that King Shan had said they would be facing ‘champions’. One would assume that meant two champions since there were only two Jedi but she had a feeling the Pacithhip were not ones to play by the rules based on their previous encounters. With their luck, there would be five champions to face when they entered the arena. Fighting more than two or three opponents at once would be an issue.

Which brought Barriss to the other problem currently plaguing her: how was she going to protect her master? If Barriss knew anything about her master (and she knew a lot) it was that Luminara Unduli did not go down without a fight. But all the bravery in the galaxy didn’t matter when your body couldn’t cooperate. Her master was putting on a good show but Barriss knew she was hurting still. If these so-called champions her the Jedi in the wrong spot she would go down. Barriss was going to have to fight for two tomorrow.

She could run endless scenarios in her mind, running over every possible way to ensure their survival but it didn’t matter. No matter how much time Barriss spent in contemplation they would still be thrown in a fight for their lives where anything could happen in the morning.

Instead of dwelling on the logistics of the fight, Barriss let her mind wander to the other topics that seemed to constantly plague her these days.

The first of which was sitting directly across from her. 

When Barriss had been a youngling she had known that Jedi Master Luminara Unduli would one day become her master, it was tradition for Mirialan masters to teach younglings of their culture. She had spent a long time watching Master Unduli move quietly through the temples while collecting shreds of information about her when possible. The other younglings had whispered about the harsh master Luminara had served under and that he had left a broken Jedi in his wake, that Barriss should be wary she would be the same as a master. 

They couldn’t have been more wrong. Luminara Unduli, the Jedi whose name supposedly sent enemy forces scattering in fear and who tolerated nothing but perfection, was a big softie. It took Barriss all of two minutes to figure that out. When they’d had their first formal meeting as master and padawan Barriss had been so nervous that she’d tripped and knocked over a statue. She had been so certain that Luminara was going to berate her that she hadn’t been able to speak but instead the Jedi had burst out in laughter and told Barriss that she’d always thought that piece was ugly anyway.

Throughout her years as a padawan, Luminara had taught her in the ways of the Force and the saber, transforming Barriss’ body into a lethal weapon. Yet at the same time, her master had also taught her to have an immense capacity for compassion and fairness in all that she does, never to act without minding the consequences. 

Her master had given Barriss a gift that many younglings were deprived of. Childhood. It wasn’t a traditional experience, they were still Jedi, but Luminara did her best. Back in their early years together Luminara had taken Barriss on training missions to the most beautiful planets to show her the wonders of the galaxy. They had stayed up together many nights, Luminara drinking caf to stay awake as she indulged every question her padawan rattled off. And there had been many, Barriss had always had a curious nature. During the days they practically flew through the training yard together as Luminara taught Barriss to move with all the flexibility and grace their bodies offered.

Barriss couldn’t help the small grin that broke out on her face as she thought back on those days. Her first few years as a padawan had been the best of her life.

Then the Clone Wars began. 

After the First Battle of Geonosis, everything changed. At first, the excitement of battle had been such a thrill for her. Dropping out of a gunship with her master and her commander at her side had been a rush unlike any other. Taking out Separatist droids on a daily basis had given Barriss an adrenaline rush.

Then the nature of war changed. Suddenly they weren’t only fighting on remote planets where the only casualties were droids. The war was having real, tangible consequences and Barriss was being promoted to the rank of commander at the age of sixteen. At the time, she hadn’t questioned it but the last few months had brought many hard battles and difficult truths. It was hard not to question everything when every day brought uncertainty, violence, and death.

Barriss groaned as these thoughts came rushing to the forefront of her mind, just as they did most nights. Her mind was always restless nowadays, always racing to find answers to her questions. About the war. About the Jedi. About the damn will of the Force. Luminara always preached that nothing was more absolute or reassuring than the Force but lately Barriss wasn’t so sure she believed that.

She’d wanted to bring up these concerns to her master but it never seemed like the right time. Right now could possibly be her last chance to voice her opinion but as Barriss looked to the sleeping Jedi she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Luminara didn’t have the energy or the time to worry about her insecurities right now.

If only Ahsoka were here. The younger padawan always seemed to know what to say to quiet these thoughts. 

Following their shared mission on Geonosis, the two padawans had grown closer and often sought each other out. When they were on Coruscant at the same time (which was rare) they spent as much time together as possible. When they were both on missions it wasn’t uncommon to receive a communication asking for advice from one another. 

Recently Barriss had shared some of her misgivings with the young Togruta and it had been such a weight off her chest to voice these thoughts. It had been even more of a relief when Ahsoka had taken her concerns seriously, it had made Barriss feel heard. Vindicated even. When Barriss got overwhelmed Ahsoka had taken to holding her hands and squeezing as if to say ‘I’m here’. She had done the same that day, letting Barriss know she was not alone in her confused thoughts. 

If Barriss was completely honest she hadn’t exactly heard everything Ahsoka told her after that. She had become a bit too focused on the warm, calloused hands enveloping hers. Ahsoka’s hands were somehow strong and gentle all at once, Barriss thought it was a perfect reflection of the girl they were attached to. 

Barriss would give anything to talk to Ahsoka right now. To hear her comforting voice say that somehow they were going to get out of this. 

As she nestled farther into her corner Barriss let out a small laugh at the rollercoaster her mind just went on. She supped that the mind had a way of dumping all the thoughts it was attempting to process when one was facing the possibility of death. It had been quite a bit to process but Barriss felt a bit lighter now.

A yawn escaped her mouth as sleep beckoned to her. Barriss knew that she should probably attempt to stay awake, try to be vigilant and keep watch while her master rested but she was spent. A few hours rest couldn’t possibly hurt.

  
  
  


_ CLANG _ . 

Something struck the iron bars of their cell and startled both Jedi out of their slumbers. As master and padawan shook off the hours of sleep they were displeased to find Lord Phet standing outside their cell once more.

“Good morning ladies,” Phet greeted with more joviality than one should have when sending their captives to face death. “I hope you had a nice sleep, it might very well have been your last! Now get up. It’s showtime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the read! let me know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter some of our other favorite Jedi! Meanwhile, Barriss and Luminara are thrown into the fight for their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! sorry that this update took a bit longer, it's been a stressful couple weeks with finals going on and I wanted to make sure that this chapter was well done. that being said, to make up for how long it's been since my last update, this chapter is a bit longer! I hope you enjoy it reading it as much as I did writing it!

“Master, are you sure this is the right spot?”

Anakin sighed into his hands as he waved towards the holomap displayed on the dashboard. “Yes, Snips. I’ve double and triple checked the coordinates from Luminara’s last communication and we’re coming in on it now. Just like I told you the last four times you asked.”

Ahsoka still looked skeptical as she peered out of their ship at the forest below. In their transmission, Barriss and Master Unduli had said they’d been shot down but she didn’t see anything capable of doing that in this area. In fact, so far there was no evidence of a crash at all. Just an endless horizon of trees and mountains. It wasn’t making any sense, they were about to pass over the exact coordinates of their last communication and still nothing. It was starting to make Ahsoka uneasy. 

“Trust in your master, Ahsoka.” A tired smile was painted on Obi-Wan’s face as he entered the cockpit. “He might not be good for much but put him in a ship and you’ll get where you need to go, usually.”

“Thank you mast— hey!” 

Padawan and grandmaster shared a laugh as Anakin sunk into the pilot’s seat and grumbled about not getting any respect. He was about to snipe back when something in front of the ship caught his eye. It was the damaged white hull of a Republic ship.

Without another word, Anakin brought them down in the clearing of the crash. All three Jedi hurried off the ship as soon as they touched down and Ahsoka couldn’t help but gasp at the scene they discovered when the doors slid open. 

There were bodies everywhere. Clones and others that Ahsoka couldn’t identify, strewn about the clearing. Spears were sticking out of the ground at odd angles and blaster marks scorched the ground under their boots. The ship was torn open on the side and heavily damaged. There had clearly been a fierce battle here but it wasn’t blatantly obvious who had come out on top.

Ahsoka felt her stomach drop at the thought that her friend had been caught in the carnage, that Barriss could possibly be dead. 

After a few moments of stunned silence, Anakin finally spoke up, “Right. Let’s clear the area and see if we can find any evidence of where Luminara and Barriss got off to. Sound like a plan, master?”

“Uh, yes.” Obi-Wan agreed gruffly, clearing his throat. “Yes, let’s get on with it.”

Ahsoka looked towards the older Jedi in concern and found a strained, somewhat panicked look in his eyes, one she understood all too well. It was a perfect reflection of how she was feeling at the moment. She couldn’t imagine that it was because of an attachment to the clones or Barriss, it had to be for Luminara. Ahsoka knew they were friends, she had seen the two of them eating together on Coruscant and teasing each other when all of their paths crossed in the field. This had to be just as hard for him as it was for her. 

She cast a sympathetic smile towards her grandmaster, which was immediately reciprocated, before moving into the clearing. 

After a few minutes of searching the three of them met up once more in the center of the clearing, each reporting that they had come up empty-handed. Both his padawan and master seemed dismayed at the news so Anakin offered, “Hey, no news is good news right? Maybe this just means that Luminara and Barriss chose to leave the area until help came. We don’t know what really happened here.”

Obi-Wan sighed as he rubbed his face, “You’re right Anakin. Let’s move further into the forest and see if we can find a trail there. They might have left some clues if they thought you two would come looking for them.”

They started into the forest together, eyes alert for any breadcrumbs the other Jedi might have left for them to find. Within the first few steps, they came across the bodies of several more clones. Every single man had a spear impaling his chest, some were unfortunate enough to have been stuck twice. Ahsoka shuddered at the sight as they passed. She hated to think of the pain these men experienced in their last moments.

A trail started to open up ahead of them as they ventured deeper into the forest so they decided to follow it west. The Jedi walked on cautiously, wary of the fact that anything could be lurking in the heavy brush. They walked silently for a few hundred feet before having to pause again when they came across the aftermath of another scuffle. 

More dead creatures lie in the clearing, several with holes burned through their chests or with severed limbs lying about. “Well,” Obi-Wan commented, “Our missing Jedi were definitely here at some point.”

Master and padawan mutely nodded in agreement, that much was evident. Wordlessly, they all began to move about and clear the area.

Anakin sneered in disgust as he nudged one of the creatures with his foot, revealing a whip clutched in the dead man’s hand. “Disgusting slavers.”

Ahsoka glanced towards Master Kenobi and they shared a worried glance. Anakin Skywalker was not known to be the most level headed Jedi ever, but he was even more emotional when slaves were involved. It was certainly understandable but it made him a bit unpredictable and difficult to reason with.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a rustling in the bushes. All three Jedi whirled around to face the noise and ignited their blades, shifting into fighting stances to confront their potential enemy.

The rustling grew closer and then three familiar faces emerged from the shrubs, holding their hands up to show they meant no harm, and the Jedi all sighed in relief. Obi-Wan strode forward and extended a hand, “Commander Gree, you are certainly a welcome sight.”

“I aim to please,” Gree joked as he took the proffered hand and pulled himself out of the bush. Buzz and Draa followed suit seconds later, dusting themselves off once they were on their feet. 

“It’s good to see you all, we’re in need of some assistance.” Gree grimaced as he added, “We’ve hit a bit of a rough spot on this mission.”

Anakin raised a hand in question, “What exactly happened here? Where are Barriss and Master Unduli?”

The clones sighed, glancing between each other before beginning to piece together their tale of woe for the Jedi. They told them all about their crash landing and subsequent battle, Luminara’s injuries, the discovery that they were being attacked by slavers, the second attack where the clones were all hit with stun guns, and how they woke up in the midst of this carnage. Jedi nowhere to be found.

“We’ve done some scouting today and we might have found where they took General Unduli and Commander Offee. It was a bit much for us to take on by ourselves so we thought it best to wait for some Jedi backup,” Gree concluded.

The Jedi took a moment to process the entire story, each of them trying to absorb as much information as possible. Obi-Wan was the first to recover. “If you know where they are then we need to start moving. We can’t trust that the slavers will keep them in one place for an extended period of time.”

“Agreed.” Ahsoka stepped forward to stand with Master Kenobi. “We’re going to have to act swiftly if we’re going to be any help to them. If the men know how to get there then we should get going.”

Both Jedi nodded to each other and looked to the clones, motioning for them to lead the way. The soldiers fell into line and started for the far side of the clearing where there was another break in the brush. The Jedi began to follow until Anakin interrupted, “Whoa, hold on. I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but I think we need to get some more facts before we just go running into a fight.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened in surprise and Ahsoka’s mouth gaped, both stunned by the fact that Anakin had just said those words. Things had to be going south for him to be the one to suggest being subtle and patient.

Anakin ignored their incredulous looks and pushed on, “Look, these slavers obviously have some skill if they were able to take down both Luminara and Barriss. We need a strategy that isn’t just ‘fight everything in sight’ if we’re going to rescue them.”

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan glanced at each other, both seeming anxious to get going but already giving in to the idea that Anakin was right. The padawan set her hands on her hips as she conceded, “You’ve got a point, master. What do you propose?”

“Let’s just come up with a loose plan, at the very least, before we plow into a slaver compound.” Anakin waved towards the clones, “Commander Gree, what did you and your men find out about these slavers?”

The clones made their way back over and began to describe their latest findings. As they spoke the Jedi began to formulate a plan between themselves, conversing on different strategies and tricks for almost half an hour before they emerged with something that Obi-Wan gave a fifty-four percent chance of success.

“That’s so reassuring Master Kenobi, thank you for your words of encouragement,” Ahsoka deadpanned.

Obi-Wan held up his hands in defense, “I have faith in us, I’m just saying.”

“Where could you possibly have gotten fifty-four from? You just—”

Anakin rolled his eyes as he interjected, “Maybe you two would like to pick this up  _ after _ we’ve saved our friends.”

That seemed to sober the squabbling Jedi immediately and they both fell silent once more. They spent the next few minutes quietly preparing to set out into the forest until Gree motioned that it was time to go. The clones set off into the woods at a quick pace, the Jedi only a few strides behind them. 

They were on their way, Ahsoka just hoped that Barriss and Luminara could hold out long enough for their rescue operation to work. 

  
  
  
  


The only thing separating them from their impending doom was a door that was, honestly, quite underwhelming in Barriss’ opinion. It was just some bland white panel, the kind you would find in any ship or public building. It looked so normal that one would think that if they stepped through it they would simply walk into their everyday lives. Another mundane, repetitive day just like any other. 

Barriss knew better. 

Even without the knowledge that a bloody tournament was being conducted on the other side, she would’ve been able to figure out something was wrong with this scene. The voices of hundreds of spectators were pounding their way through the door, leaking through the crevices to pierce her ears. The crowd cheered as the current match raged, champions shouting and grunting as they exchanged blows in hopes of emerging victorious. It sounded just as horribly violent as Barriss knew it would be. 

Padawan and master were only mere minutes away from their own fight and it sounded like the crowd was hungry for blood. There was no way to see into the arena from the waiting chamber Phet had dumped them in five minutes ago but Barriss didn’t need to. Based on the way the crowd’s roar was picking up in volume and frequency it was pretty easy to deduce that the current fight was about to come to its deadly finish. Probably within the next minute or so. It was simply a matter of time before submission and then the next match would commence, bringing them one step closer to their fate, whatever it may be. 

She wasn’t one to normally be quite so pessimistic but she was bone-tired, sore in all her limbs, and longing to be anywhere but here. The Force would have to excuse her for being a little down in the dumps.

A puff of air hit her leg and Barriss glanced down to the space beside her where her master was kneeling in meditation. Once Phet and his guards had left the waiting chamber Luminara had announced her intention to center herself before their fight. She’d been knelt in this position for the past five minutes, trying to concentrate. The padawan was amazed that her master could find any peace in such a charged moment, especially when their connection to the Force was still as dampened as it was. 

When Phet had come for them that morning the guards had stunned them so that they could switch their shackles out for its substitute, a Force resistant armband. Barriss had never seen such technology before but she supposed it was the same as the Force-sensitive holding cell. The band was a cold metal material that was fastened far too tight, adding to the existing discomfort of not being able to reach out to the Force. Phet had sneered something about not wanting to give them any special advantages in the match. 

Luminara’s face was slack as Barriss examined her, seeming completely at peace in this moment. But Barriss knew the truth behind this image, she could see the tension in the Jedi’s shoulders and the way she was carrying herself to avoid straining her injuries any further. 

It served as a stark reminder of the task before Barriss, her mission to keep them both alive and in one piece.

A roar sounded above them as the stands went wild, the ceiling shaking as spectators jumped in their seats and stomped their feet. Barriss supposed that the kill had just occurred, there was a new victor. 

“Our time is closing in master,” Barriss murmured as she anxiously peered at the door. 

The Jedi Master exhaled deeply before cracking open her eyes and looking up at her padawan. “Indeed and we will face this fight just as we have every other, together. This will be difficult but surely we have faced worse?”

Barriss pulled a face as she offered her master a hand, “Nothing comes to mind at the moment.”

“Well think harder,” Luminara responded as she took her padawan’s hand and pulled herself off the ground. Barriss watched as her master dusted herself off and straightened her headpiece, acting as though they were about to present themselves to the council rather than spectators who would love to watch them die. 

Above them the crowd seemed to swell once more, going wild as a shrill scream pierced the air and something hit the wall near their door. Barriss winced and turned back to her master, trying to hide her anxiety as she asked, “Do you have a plan, master?”

Luminara’s lips pressed into a thin line, not looking overwhelmingly excited with her idea, but she nodded her assent. “I believe our best move is to start defensive and let our opponents wear themselves out. When it comes time for us to move then we should fight alongside each other and take opponents on together. Neither of us is particularly well equipped for a solo match right now so if they separate us I don’t think things will go well. Stay tight to me and we’ll make it out of this.”

The padawan nodded along, agreeing with her master’s logic. This plan was very much similar to the loose one she had concocted in her mind over the past few minutes. In her mind, Barriss was doing most of the fighting for them but she imagined the opposite was going on in her master’s mind. 

Barriss shifted nervously on the balls of her feet as they listened to the fight in shared silence. “Master,” she started quietly, her voice barely audible over the din of the crowd. “I have something I would like to say.”

Luminara turned to face her once more, raising an eyebrow in question. 

Barriss timidly started, “I just wanted to say that you’ve been an amazing teacher, I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. And if something happens today I just—”

“Barriss,” Luminara cut in, holding up a hand to stop her padawan’s nervous speech. “I appreciate the sentiment but I don’t want you thinking like that right now. We’re going to make it through this fight. You and I, just like any other day, understood?”

The padawan slowly nodded her understanding, offering her master a sad smile. Luminara reciprocated and then a mischievous glint struck her eyes as she joked, “Don’t forget about that ‘amazing teacher’ speech though. I want to hear more about that when we get back to Coruscant.”

A genuine laugh managed to bubble up from Barriss’ chest and she shot a weary grin at the older woman. Her master winked before turning to face the door once more, falling back into her previous silence. Barriss knew that despite all her lectures about being able to let go when the time comes, her master wasn’t quite ready to have the conversation she’d been wanting to start, not willing to consider that final words might be needed.

And that was okay. Barriss knew that everything she had been going to say was already understood.

A ferocious roar rang out from just beyond the door, causing both Jedi to jump at the sudden noise. The audience was a madhouse above them, cheering so hard that dust was falling loose from the ceiling and raining down on their heads. 

Then a new voice crackled to life in the arena, clear as day even through the door. 

King Shan joyously shouted, “My wonderful subjects! What an entertaining morning this has been! Every single one of our champions today have fought valiantly, earning their titles in such novel and spectacular ways. Who would’ve ever thought that ripping an arm off could look like it’s own art form?”

The audience laughed and both Jedi cringed at the crude words. Barriss could only assume that particular mishap resulted in one of the many screams of pain she had heard that morning.

“Now, now,” the king started once more, “I have a special treat in store for you all today. As we move into our final fight I am pleased to say that we have champions unlike any this arena has seen before.”

An excited murmur rippled through the crowd. 

Luminara shifted next to her, rolling her shoulders back and shaking her arms out in preparation.

“That’s right! Today, ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you...”

That bland white door that Barriss had been eyeing all morning slid open in front of them and blinding fluorescent light flooded into the room. Luminara squinted against the spotlight and grabbed Barriss’ wrist, giving it one last squeeze before letting go and stepping into the arena. 

Barriss took one big deep breath, steeling her nerves as she forced her face into the best ‘unbothered’ look that she could muster. Then she strode forward and joined her master’s side once more as the crowd surged at their arrival.

“The Jedi.”

  
  
  
  


The crowd roared as they stepped into the arena, the voices of the hundreds of Pacithhip piled into the looming stands screaming down at them. There was a mix of excited cheering and booing coming from the crowd that was so deafening Luminara could barely hear herself think.

The Jedi master looked around the arena, trying to take in as much of her surroundings as possible, but frankly, there wasn’t much to notice. The stadium had a dirt floor and was surrounded by tall stone walls. Other than that there was nothing of note, which was good. It didn’t give them any particular advantage but the same would go for their opponent. This was a level playing field, one of the best situations she could have hoped for.

King Shan’s voice boomed throughout the arena once more, “Now I would like to introduce our favorite champions here on Shimia. You know them, you love them, you come back every week to see them! Please give a warm welcome to the Lomax brothers!”

As the king’s excited voice echoed off the walls, Luminara glanced over at her padawan. She found Barriss drawing herself up to her full height, trying to make herself seem as big and threatening as possible. It was a good idea but Luminara didn’t think it was going to matter much.

Their opponents were going to see them as two average looking, defenseless women, as many of their foes initially do. It was a fact that annoyed Barriss to no end but Luminara saw it as an opportunity. It’s much easier to overwhelm someone when they’re expecting an easy victory. 

Luminara ignored the opening of the doors across the arena in favor of examining the rest of the dome-shaped stadium. Her eyes quickly scanned the dimly lit stands, looking for anything that could be a possible escape route. They couldn’t make any kind of escape attempt right now, but it would be good to know for the future. It appeared as though they were still underground so perhaps she could spy a ventilation shaft that might lead topside. 

As her eyes swept over the upper stands one more time she thought she caught sight of something that couldn’t possibly be here. Or rather, someone. Luminara shook her head and squinted at the crowd again, her slightly concussed mind had to be playing tricks on her. 

There was no way that Obi-Wan Kenobi was actually here.

She didn’t have time to investigate any further because Barriss’ concerned voice was penetrating her thoughts. “Are you seeing this, Master?”

“Seeing what?” Luminara turned back to her padawan only to find Barriss’ intense blue eyes fixed on a spot across the arena. When Luminara followed her gaze she found the source of her padawan’s trepidation, causing her to quietly curse, “Our luck cannot possibly be  _ this _ bad!”

The Lomax brothers had emerged from across the arena and were calling to the crowd, eliciting a frenzied reaction from the Pacithhip people. The Jedi were feeling no such warmth as they looked upon their opponents and realized that their day was about to get so much harder.

The brothers were a duo of Trandoshan men. This presented a problem as their race was known throughout the galaxy for being ruthless hunters willing to use any number of violent tactics to secure a bounty. To make matters worse, the brothers appeared to be above average specimens of their race. Each of them stood close to seven feet tall, towering over the Jedi, with shining talons extending from the end of each finger and razor-sharp teeth peeking out from behind their sneers. 

The bigger of the two brothers caught Luminara’s eye and snarled menacingly but she was unfazed by the scare tactic, fixing him with a bored look. For a moment he seemed put off by the fact that she was so unbothered but he recovered by laughing it off and waving to the crowd once more.

The cheers began to die down a few seconds later and the brothers' attention turned to the Jedi. They began to edge closer, growling as the distance between them all began to close. Luminara shifted her weight into a fighting stance as she watched them, leaning close to her padawan to remind her, “Remember Barriss, let them waste their energy and then we’ll attack together. Just stay close.”

Barriss nodded her understanding, mirroring her master’s stance as she glared at the Trandoshan across from her.

“Champions!” Shan called from his viewing box at the top of the arena. “Let the fight begin!”

The match began in an instant, the Lomax brothers exploding forward as they started towards the Jedi with more speed than Luminara had anticipated. The bigger one charged towards Luminara, hands outstretched to claw at her, but at the last second she easily sidestepped out of his path. The other brother attempted a similar move on her padawan. Barriss waited for him to draw near before rolling out of the way, easily pushing up to her feet to join her master’s side.

The audience jeered as the brothers went stumbling past them, some even began rooting for the Jedi. 

The brothers quickly found their footing and rounded on them once more, all of the previous mirth drained from their eyes and replaced with a newfound rage. They started towards the Jedi again at a slower pace, more in sync with each other, funneling all of their aggression into their blows as they began a new assault. The brothers each focused their attention on one Jedi, the bigger on Luminara and the smaller on Barriss, as the fight truly began.

Luminara halved her attention as they clashed, keeping one eye on the brother in front of her and the other monitoring her padawan’s movements. Both battles were going well as the Jedi worked hard to avoid getting snagged on a talon. They sidestepped, vaulted, tumbled, and dove as they did everything in their power to keep the brothers on the offensive until they began to tire. 

After a brief period of this back and forth it seemed as though their plan was beginning to work.

The smaller brother lunged at Barriss and when she evaded the maneuver he stumbled, crashing onto his side with a loud ‘oomph’. It took him a few long seconds to rise up to one knee, grunting with the extra effort it required, as Barriss hopped from toe to toe with all the energy she still held. Luminara took notice of this as she rolled through her Trandoshan’s legs, causing the man to stumble as she bowled through his wide stance. This was the opening they had been waiting for. 

Swiftly rising to her feet, Luminara returned to her padawan’s side and they took a second to regroup. The Jedi caught their breaths as the Lomax brothers picked themselves up off the ground. The brothers warily eyed them for a moment, using the break to heave a breath as well.

Luminara wiped a bead of sweat from her brow as she called out, “Gentlemen, if you surrender we can work together to escape this tournament. Stand with us now and we will help you later. Let us refuse these people their sick entertainment.”

The Lomax brothers glanced between each other, sharing a surprised look, before bursting into laughter. They snickered for a moment before the bigger Trandoshan responded, “Lady, you think we’re prisoners? No, no. We fight in these matches for two reasons: to get rich and to have fun. You’re slaves, but us? We’re exactly where we want to be.”

As the brothers continued to laugh Barriss leaned in and murmured, “I don’t think negotiations are going to work here, master.”

“Yes, I figured that out myself, thank you Barriss.” Luminara huffed, shouldering her padawan out of her personal space.

They were drawn out of their squabble when both the Lomax brothers let out a high pitched bark, an eerie sound that sent a chill down Luminara’s spine. The audience sparked to life once again as the Trandoshans rallied, advancing on the Jedi.

Quick as lightning, the arena broke out into violent chaos as the brothers bore down on the Jedi with everything they had left. Master and padawan charged forward to meet them blow for blow. 

Barriss made quick work of the smaller Trandoshan, jumping into the air with a spin and slamming a heel into the man’s temple. The momentum of the kick sent him tumbling to the ground, landing in a heap off to their right. He wasn’t out of the fight but hopefully his daze would provide them enough time to take down his brother.

The remaining brother growled as the Jedi began to circle him, master and padawan moving until they each flanked one side. When Luminara nodded to her apprentice they attacked as one. Luminara ducked to the left, throwing punches that caught him in the chest and ribs. Her blows didn’t have much of an effect overall but it left an opening for Barriss to land some hits of her own. The Trandoshan grunted as Barriss’ foot collided with the back of his knee, sending him crashing to the ground. 

Luminara let herself take a deep breath as she watched him fall, relief creeping into her as she finally saw the end of the fight approaching. They just needed to keep up this energy and they might just make it out alive. That feeling was short-lived, however, as her legs were swept out from under her seconds later. When Luminara landed on her back an elbow appeared above her face and she just barely managed to roll out of the way in time to escape the finishing move.

As she pulled herself back to her feet so did the Lomax brother. This time he focused his attention on Barriss, reaching out and catching her apprentice’s arm as she moved to strike. Blue eyes widened in surprise before she was tossed through the air, almost as though she was weightless. Luminara could only watch as her padawan went flying overhead before colliding with the ground behind her, landing with a pained groan.

A wave of anger washed over Luminara as she looked at her padawan’s collapsed form. It took a great deal of effort but she forced herself to release that feeling, instead channeling that same energy back into her fight. As she whipped back around on the Trandoshan he seemed to realize that he made a mistake in angering her. 

She advanced with renewed speed and strength, barreling into the Lomax brother shoulder first and knocking him to the ground. He rolled through the movement but before he could get back on his feet Luminara was there. She launched a kick at his head, slamming her boot into his nose and earning a satisfying crunch. The Trandoshan howled in pain as he clutched at his bloody face while using his other hand to blindly swipe at the Jedi. A claw caught her robes and raked down the side, tearing a hole in the material and giving him leverage to pull her in close but she twisted out of the grip. 

Luminara took a step back and was looking for her next opening when a grunt from behind her caught her attention. The Jedi Master glanced over her shoulder and found that Barriss was currently locked in her own battle. Her padawan was on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as she grappled with the now-recovered smaller brother. They were both in the dirt, pushing and pulling as they exchanged blows and fought for dominance. It was a genuine brawl.

It seemed as though Barriss was going to come out on top until the Trandoshan spotted his opportunity to strike back. As Barriss grabbed his shoulders to pin him down he reared his ugly head back, baring his teeth, before pitching forward and clamping down on the padawan’s arm. A pained shriek ripped from Barriss’ throat as the Trandoshan sunk his teeth into her forearm. When she tried to pull away he began to thrash, yanking the smaller Mirialan back and forth with all his might.

“NO!” Luminara moved to run to her padawan’s aid when she sensed movement behind her and only just managed to duck in time to avoid getting clocked in the head. The Jedi reluctantly turned back to her own fight, trying to press her opponent back so that she could go help Barriss.

It was too late.

A moment later Barriss let out one more agonized shout before her body came skidding to a stop near Luminara’s feet. A stricken look formed on Luminara’s face as she looked to her fallen padawan. She could see that Barriss was still conscious as she cradled her arm to her chest. There was a great deal of blood seeping through the tattered remains of her robes and spilling through her fingers, marring her beautiful green hands. A pained expression contorted Barriss’ face as she forced down shallow breaths and her eyes failed to focus on much of anything.

The momentary distraction was Luminara’s downfall. As the Jedi looked to her injured apprentice the Lomax brothers took advantage of her momentary slip. 

A powerful punch caught Luminara square in the chest, sending her flying backward as all of the air was expelled from her lungs. She started to struggle back up to her knees only for one of the brothers to backhand her. The slap sent Luminara pitching forward so quickly she only just managed to put her hands out in time to prevent her face from slamming into the red dirt. 

The Jedi panted as she stared down at the ground, trying to stop her world from spinning. It was so tempting to give in as she felt the energy seeping from her, weariness and pain settling in her bones. The brothers were closing in, she could see their approach in her periphery even as stars danced in front of her eyes, but she found that she didn’t really care. Luminara had put up a valiant fight, surely the Force would take favor on her if she succumbed.

But then a nagging voice in her head reminded her of the promise she had silently made last night. The one about fighting to the last breath, for her future, and for Barriss’. She had to get up again and make one last stand.

Even though she was shaking from the effort, Luminara rose to her knees once more. She took a moment to steady herself with a breath before pushing to her feet. The Trandoshans watched for a moment, almost looking genuinely impressed by her actions. Never had they seen such determination in all their matches.

Luminara met their eyes while swiping at the blood dribbling down her tattooed chin from her newly split lip. She drew herself up to her full height, mirroring Barriss’ earlier form, and raised her fists to fight.

The taller brother let out a bark of laughter, “This is the problem with you Jedi type. You never know when to give up.”

“Afraid I never learned how,” Luminara rasped as the Trandoshans advanced with a hungry look in their eyes. 

Just as they were about to clash for a final time a cloaked figure dropped down into the space between the Jedi and the Lomax brothers. Without a word, the figure pushed one hand out towards the brothers and sent them flying backward while using the other arm to corral Luminara behind their body. 

Luminara reeled back in surprise but quickly recovered, reaching out to grab at the figure’s cloak. With a quick yank, she spun them around and raised her clenched fist in preparation to strike only to reveal a familiar face. “Obi-Wan?”

The Jedi smiled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck as he spoke, “Sorry to drop in unannounced but I thought you could use the help.” 

“Wha—What are you doing here?” Luminara asked in bewilderment, her hand still fisted tightly in his cloak.

“Well, I was observing the culture but it got a little too violent for my tastes,” Obi-Wan joked as he brought his hand up to cover hers. He gently pulled her shaking hand from his chest and cradled it in his soft grip, holding her as though he was afraid she might break. It wasn’t an entirely unrealistic fear in this moment.

Luminara opened her mouth, intent on demanding a real answer over another evasive quip, but she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of two more cloaked people dropping down from the stands. Their hoods fell away as they stood, revealing the faces of Anakin Skywalker and his padawan. Master and apprentice nodded a greeting to her but Luminara could only stare at them in silent astonishment. 

“I hope you don’t mind that I brought company,” Obi-Wan said as the other Jedi took off in separate directions. Ahsoka ran to aid Barriss who had managed to sit up and was looking at her friend with an expression of bafflement. Meanwhile, Anakin turned to deal with the Lomax brothers who were already recovering from Obi-Wan’s Force push. 

When Luminara turned her attention back to Obi-Wan she found that his eyes were scanning over her body. His eyes flitted up and down as he checked over her obvious injuries and Luminara felt a blush rise in her cheeks. It was discomforting to be scrutinized like this by a man who she had confusing feelings for, especially when she looked like such a mess at the moment. 

She quickly shooed the feeling away. Of course she looked like a mess, she was a hostage who had to be rescued from a gladiator-style death match by her old friend.

_ Just _ her friend.

When he was finished examining her Obi-Wan said, “We need to get going, you both need medical attention and a long rest.” His crystal blue eyes softened with concern as he asked, “Do you need help moving, Luminara?”

Did she need help? Probably. She was shaking like a leaf in a storm as exhaustion settled deep into her muscles. Was she going to accept help? Over her dead body. “Don’t worry, I’ll manage.”

Obi-Wan looked at her skeptically but didn’t have time to argue with her before Ahsoka called, “Masters! We need to get going.” They both looked over to find the padawan anxiously watching Barriss, who had managed to get to her feet but was swaying like she might fall at any second. Ahsoka was giving her space but one hand hovered near the small of her friend’s back, ready to offer support when needed. Probably a good call considering the pallor of Barriss’ skin. “Now.”

“Right,” Obi-Wan looked at something over Luminara’s shoulder as his lips pulled into a thin line. “You’re not going to like my plan very much.”

Luminara spun on her heel, following his gaze to the door that she and Barriss had emerged from this morning. The door that was currently teeming with armed Pacithhip who looked extremely annoyed that the Jedi had ruined their tournament. The door that led right back into the never-ending maze of hallways. “You’re right. I hate it.”

“I haven’t even told you what it is yet!” Obi-Wan protested.

“I don’t have to hear the whole plan to know that going back through that door is ludicrous,” Luminara argued, rounding on him once more. She was more than a little surprised to find that he was a step closer now, leaving barely any space between them as he looked down at her in amusement. Normally that would make Luminara even angrier but right now it was just making her flustered. Damn these confusing feelings.

“Well there’s no other plan so you’ll just have to make do with this one,” Obi-Wan explained as he slipped a hand into hers. Without a moment’s hesitation, he took off for the door, pulling her along as he charged straight towards the enraged guards. Her body was protesting the quick pace within seconds but Luminara gritted her teeth and pushed through the pain, knowing they really didn’t have any other choice. 

The Jedi quickly glanced over her shoulder and saw that Ahsoka had employed the same tactic on Barriss but at a slower clip. Farther beyond them Skywalker was cutting down one Lomax brother and rounding on the other, who looked both terrified and full of hatred all at once. Luminara found that she couldn’t muster any sympathy for them. 

When they were only a few paces in front of the waiting Pacithhip Obi-Wan let go of her hand so that he could engage them. He vaulted high into the air, igniting his lightsaber as he descended into the midst of the slavers. Luminara slowed to a halt a few feet away, knowing that she had nothing to contribute to this fight. She would become a liability if she engaged so she hung back instead and watched as Obi-Wan skillfully fought. 

Seconds later Barriss appeared at her side as Ahsoka deposited her before following her Grandmaster’s lead, leaping into the fight with an angry shout. 

Luminara turned to her padawan, using their brief respite to examine her apprentice’s injuries more closely. Cautiously, she reached out for Barriss’ arm and had to choke back a gasp as she looked at the wound. That damn Trandoshan had mangled Barriss’ forearm, leaving behind several tracks of bite marks, severely torn skin, and a bloody mess. Luminara immediately ripped off a piece of her torn robe and set about wrapping up the damage. 

When Luminara was done she looked up from her patch job and found Barriss pressing her other hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her groans of pain as her master worked. “Hold on just a little longer Barriss, we’ll get you a healer soon enough.”

She offered her padawan a strained smile, ignoring the way her lip pulsed uncomfortably as it tugged upwards. Barriss nodded back to her, exhaling harshly through her nose as she drew her arm back to rest against her chest. There was a tug in Luminara’s chest as she watched her apprentice fight back stinging tears from the pain, it was guilt eating at her. It was her job to protect Barriss from harm like this and today she had done an abysmal job, possibly the worst she’s ever done. 

They turned their attention back to the fight just in time to watch Ahsoka stab her saber through the last standing Pacithhip. 

“Come on!” Obi-Wan called to them as he made for the door, standing in the threshold as he waved them through. 

Ahsoka ran ahead of them, sprinting through the entrance towards the inner door so that she could begin to carve out a hole for them to escape through. Luminara gave her apprentice a gentle nudge towards the door, needing to make sure that Bariss was a step ahead of her on their way to safety. 

Once they were both safely within the waiting chamber Obi-Wan joined them, lightsaber at the ready as he guarded their rear. 

Luminara quickly checked to make sure that Ahsoka was managing before leaning in towards Kenobi’s ear, “Are you going to let me in on this plan of yours?”

“Oh, now you want to hear it?” Obi-Wan smirked as he deflected a blaster bolt away. “There is an extensive system of vents running through this complex. It’s how we snuck in and it’s how we’re going to get back out.”

“Hm, I had the same idea,” Luminara mused. “But what if—”

She didn’t get the chance to finish her question before Skywalker came barreling towards them, tailed by a whole new troop of Pacithhip guards and shouting, “Shut the door! Shut the door!”

Anakin dove across the threshold as Obi-Wan forced the door shut just in time to head off a spear that was thrown in their direction. As Skywalker clambered back to his feet Ahsoka let out an “aha!” and Forced open the hole she had been working on. One by one they hopped through the opening into the hallway which was much too quiet for Luminara’s liking. 

“Now what?” Luminara questioned as she glanced up and down the vacant hall.

“It’s all up from here.” Anakin smiled and pointed towards the ceiling where there was a grated opening that he easily Forced open. “Jedi Masters first.”

With that, he dropped into a squat and laced his fingers together to create a foothold. Luminara’s brows shot up as she cast a doubting look at the other Jedi. But then angry shouts and the pounding of running footsteps started down the hallway so she decided to save her questions for later. Luminara backed up a few paces and then took a running leap at Anakin, one foot landing in his entwined hands while the other pushed off the ground. Skywalker’s additional leverage launched her skywards and Luminara’s torso emerged into the shaft. With an inelegant grunt, Luminara pulled her the lower half of her body into the vent. 

A few seconds later Barriss emerged from the opening, biting back a cry as she tried to use both arms to secure a hold. Luminara quickly lurched forward and grabbed two fistfuls of her padawan’s robes to heave her the rest of the way. Once she was completely inside Barriss rolled onto her back, sighing as she took a moment to rest. 

Ahsoka’s head was the next to pop up. The padawan made the jump by herself and easily pulled herself into the crawl space, which was now becoming a bit cramped. Once she was secure Ahsoka turned around and began to pull the grate back into place.

“Wait.” Luminara peered back through the opening at Obi-Wan. “Aren’t you coming with us?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “Not right now. Anakin and I are going to create a distraction to buy you all some time to get out but then we’ll be right behind you. Don’t worry.”

The plan was not exactly blaster proof and it seemed like everyone was aware of that, she didn’t need the Force to sense their apprehension. She wanted to protest but one look at Barriss told Luminara that she shouldn’t be wasting any more time. “Just,” Luminara exhaled a shaky breath. “Be careful. Please.”

“Don’t worry.” Anakin grinned as he pulled out his saber. “Distractions are a Skywalker specialty.”

“Telling people that never makes them feel better!” Ahsoka called as she began to crawl down the tunnel heading right. Obi-Wan offered one final wave and a wink before he ran off towards the sound of the approaching Pacithhip, Anakin hot on his heels. Luminara watched until they were out of sight before falling into line behind the padawans. 

Ahsoka began leading them down a straight path that seemed to go on forever. They set out at a moderate pace, slowed by the fact that Barriss could only crawl so quickly on one working arm. Minutes passed as they moved along in silence, the only sounds were Barriss’ slightly labored breathing and the occasional commotion underneath them from Skywalker’s big distraction.

Eventually, they reached a stopping point when they came to a crossroad with vents leading forward, left, right, and straight up. Luminara had a feeling she knew which path they were going to have to take.

“Alright, so we have to go up,” Ahsoka turned back to them with a strained smile, attempting to make the situation seem less terrible. “It’s a bit of a long way up but it’s an easy enough climb since there are grates every few feet. Do you think you can do it?”

The question was directed at Barriss who was staring up the shaft with a very apprehensive look. Barriss gulped and turned to respond but before she could even attempt to suggest that she’d be capable Ahsoka waved it off, “Nevermind, stupid question. Get on my back and I’ll carry you up.”

“Ahsoka!” Barriss admonished. “You can’t possibly carry me up all that way, it’s at least thirty feet.”

The other padawan stood up, stretching her legs out as she eyeballed the shaft above her. “Well there’s no way you’ll make it up on your own, so unless you’d rather stay in this vent you’d better hop up.”

Ahsoka turned around and dropped into a squat, jerking a thumb towards her back. Barriss looked back to her master, mouth agape at the idea, but Luminara just motioned for her to climb aboard. When she realized that she wasn’t going to get any support in this argument Barriss gave in with a roll of her eyes. 

As delicately as possible, Barriss climbed onto the back of the young Togruta. Ahsoka stood and experimentally squatted a few times, testing the additional weight as Barriss clung tightly with her legs and working arm. “Oh yeah, this will be a piece of cake. You weigh half as much as Anakin and I end up carrying him more often than you would think. Don’t tell him I told you that.”

Ahsoka laughed at her own words before launching up into the vent, a squeak of surprise bursting from Barriss’ lips at the sudden movement. Luminara shook her head at Ahsoka’s antics but she was actually genuinely glad to have Skywalker’s padawan with her at a time like this. Ahsoka’s optimism and humor were always refreshing, especially at a time like this. 

Luminara crawled forward until she was able to stand under the open vent and look up to where the padawans hung about seven feet in the air. She heaved a sigh, knowing that her body was going to hate her for this, before jumping up after them. Of course, without the Force she didn’t jump anywhere near as high, so her journey was going to take a bit longer.

After several tense minutes of climbing and one momentary panic when they were twenty feet up and Luminara almost lost her grip, they’d made it to the top of the vent. With tired arms, Ahsoka reached up and banged on the manhole above them several times. There was a moment of tense silence and then the cover was being pulled back to reveal the open sky. Luminara thought she had never been so relieved to see the clear blue expanse.

A pair of hands reached into the vent and pulled the padawans onto solid ground. Luminara climbed the last few feet to reach the top of the shaft and before she could pull herself out, two hands grabbed her shoulders and lifted her into the air. She tumbled out of the vent in a very ungainly manner, rolling a few times until she landed on her back. Luminara closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, relishing the clean air and the feeling of the grass underneath her.

“Need a hand, General?”

Cobalt eyes shot open in disbelief, searching for the source of that familiar voice. Gree’s concerned face appeared above hers, his hand extended to offer assistance.

“Gree?” Luminara questioned incredulously, not quite believing that he was actually there even as she grasped his hand. “I saw you get shot. They shot you in that clearing.”

“It’s gonna take more than a couple of amateurs with stun guns to take us down, General.” Gree nodded to the left and Luminara looked to find Buzz and Draa standing over the padawans. Ahsoka was already on her feet but Barriss was still laying on the ground, staring up at her supposedly fallen comrades in shock. When the men knelt down beside her Barriss launched herself into their arms, hugging them close as she told them how happy she was to see them. The clones seemed shocked by the unusual show of emotion but happily leaned into the embrace.

General and Commander smiled as they watched the reunion, touched by how overwhelmed the three of them were. Luminara leaned in towards the soldier and quietly said, “It is a true pleasure to stand at your side again, my friend.”

Gree smiled as he watched his brothers fuss over Barriss’ arm and the small gash on her temple that Luminara hadn’t noticed earlier. “Nowhere else I’d rather be sir.”

Their reunion only lasted a few more moments before Ahsoka cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “I’m sorry but we need to get moving back towards the ship. Master Kenobi told me that we shouldn’t wait for them once we reached the surface.”

Everyone seemed to deflate at that, reality crashing back down on their moment of peace. Luminara felt irritation swell in her chest, why did Obi-Wan constantly insist on these idiotic selfless plans. It had ‘hero’ written all over it. He was right, of course, they needed to be efficient about this, but it didn’t make her any less frustrated. “Right. Where is your ship, padawan?”

“It’s not far,” Ahsoka’s voice sounded stronger now, more sure of herself as she answered. “Just a quick run through the forest back that way.”

The padawan pointed back into the woods and Luminara felt a flare of unease in her stomach. She was not particularly fond of those woods or the people lurking within them but her need to be off of this planet far outweighed her discomfort, so she would get over it.

“How far is ‘not too far’?” Barriss questioned as she tiredly leaned against Buzz. Now that the momentary excitement had passed her energy was quickly fading.

The clones and Jedi all glanced between each other, knowing that no matter the distance Barriss wasn’t going to be fit for the journey. Neither was Luminara for that matter, but she wouldn’t admit to that until she was no longer able to put one foot in front of the other. 

Ahsoka seemed to arrive at a decision as she glanced between her friend and the forest. “Too far for you. I’ll have to carry you again.”

Barriss balked at Ahsoka, her big blue eyes and deep-set frown very clearly communicating that she was not pleased with that plan. However, Ahsoka was not going to back down, fixing Barriss with a firm look as she crossed her arms. The padawans stared at each other for a moment, seeming as though they were having an entire conversation in complete silence. The rest of the group simply watched, waiting for a decision to be made. 

The Togruta came out on top in the end. Barriss relented with a deep sigh as she signaled for her friend to turn around. Ahsoka smirked as she lowered herself once more, pleased that she had won an argument between them for once.

“I promise it’s really not that far,” Ahsoka emphasized as Barriss hopped onto her back, jostling slightly as they both settled into the grip. “It’ll just be quicker this way. Now let’s move.”

Just as they turned to race into the forest there was a sound from the air vent. Everyone tensed, unsure as to whether a friend or foe was going to emerge from the opening. Luminara shifted in front of the padawans as the clones pointed their blasters at the grate and prepared to fire at the first sign of trouble.

A beat passed and then a familiar face arose from the vent, eyes widening in surprise when he saw all the weapons aimed at his face. “Shouldn’t you all be on your way to the ship by now?”

Gree leaned forward and helped Obi-Wan pull himself out of the vent. A moment later Anakin came bursting out of the opening, landing gracefully in the clearing beside his former master. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at the theatrics but Luminara couldn’t help but think he would’ve pulled the same stunt any other day. 

“We were just about to leave Master Kenobi. You guys got here just in time.” Ahsoka bounced on her heels as she answered, shifting Barriss’ weight to rest higher on her hips. 

Anakin seemed satisfied with that answer, “Funny, we’re never usually this punctual during missions. Now let’s head out, these guys give me the creeps.”

The Jedi motioned for his padawan to take the lead. They grinned at each other before turning and rushing into the forest, Barriss clinging as tightly as she could as they raced each other. The clones set off after them, quickly falling into line behind the Jedi and disappearing into the brush.

Luminara took a step forward with the intention to follow when Obi-Wan’s hand snagged her arm. She glanced down at the offending hand in confusion. When she looked up and found her friend’s worried eyes staring at her she raised her eyebrows in question, “Is something wrong?”

Obi-Wan stared for a long moment, blue eyes tracking over every centimeter of her face. He opened his mouth to speak and then hesitated, struggling to come up with the exact words he wanted to say. Eventually, he settled on, “Are you okay?”

No. The simple answer was no, she was not in any way ‘okay’ right now.

Luminara was exhausted, hurting in places she didn’t know she could hurt and worried that the cuts on her back were infected from rolling around in the dirt. Mentally and even emotionally she was drained, the last twenty fours hours had been a lot. But it was neither the time nor the place to get into such matters so she just forced a smile and nodded, “I’m okay, I promise.”

Obi-Wan’s slightly distressed expression told her that he didn’t buy it but he didn’t push her any further on the matter, allowing the question to dissolve as they too dashed into the woods to catch up with their friends.

Once they caught up with the group it was a race for the finish line. No one spoke as they ran along the barely existent path that cut through the woods. Every few feet they were forced to duck under branches or hurdle over wide roots. The exertion required to keep pace had Luminara panting heavily, struggling for breath as her injured body made it known that it did not agree with this kind of treatment. 

“We’re getting close,” Obi-Wan murmured from just behind her shoulder, trying to offer some assurance. Speech was a bit elusive at the moment so Luminara just nodded back to him. 

They ran at this pace for a short while longer, forced to slow down every now and again when the path became too overgrown to easily move through. Luminara thanked the Force for every brief respite. 

Another minute or so passed when they must have passed a familiar landmark because Anakin called back, “The ship is just ahead! We made it!”

Luminara looked up to Obi-Wan, who was helping her climb over a fallen log, with a grimace. “I really wish he hadn’t said that.”

Luck had not exactly been on their side as of late and she had a feeling Anakin’s words had just jinxed them again. 

They had just broken into a run again when Obi-Wan cocked his head and asked, “Do you hear that?”

The sounds of her heavy breathing were blocking out most other noises but as Luminara concentrated on her surroundings she did pick up on something else. It was a whistling noise, as though something was sailing overhead. That sound was familiar, it sounded just like something she’d heard very recently. 

Realization struck and Luminara planted her feet in the ground as she commanded, “STOP.”

Obi-Wan skidded to a halt behind her, only just managing to catch himself before he bowled into Luminara. The clones were not quite so fortunate. They all slammed into each other before colliding with Anakin who did everything in his power to avoid taking out the padawans. 

“Listen,” Luminara pointed to the sky as silence fell over the group. They waited with bated breath as the whistling grew closer and closer until it passed directly overhead and then—

_ BOOM. _

A rush of air blew over them as the clearing ahead erupted in fire and debris. Everyone stared as smoke began to emerge through the treetops overhead, signaling the destruction of their only form of escape.

“That was my ship,” Anakin breathed in incredulity. Then his face twisted in anger and annoyance, “They blew up my ship!”

He turned back to his former master with an offended look. Obi-Wan sighed, not having the time to deal with Anakin’s tantrum. “We’ll get you another one, now let’s go.”

“Ugh! These guys are the worst!” Ahsoka kicked a rock into a tree stump in frustration only for it to ricochet and hit her master in the elbow. Anakin whirled around with a scowl and Ahsoka shrugged her shoulders, looking towards the sky as though the pebble could have fallen from there while Barriss ducked her head to hide a snicker.

“What now?” Luminara was hoping that someone would have a backup plan. Perhaps a fleet waiting nearby for their return but when she looked between the frustrated faces of the other Jedi she knew there was no backup. No reinforcements coming to save the day. They were on their own. 

Gree detangled himself from his brothers and stood up to voice his suggestion, “I think our safest bet is to head deeper into the forest and look for shelter. You two need medical attention and we need to come up with a new plan.”

No one protested the idea, it was really the only logical step forward. Once they were all back on their feet and had caught their breath their group set off once more, changing direction to venture eastward into the forest. 

As they fled Luminara glanced over her shoulder at the smoldering wreckage behind them. Escape had been so close and now they were back to square one. She wasn’t normally a pessimist but things were really starting to seem very bleak. 

Then Obi-Wan moved into her line of vision and despite everything, he offered her a smile. Not the kind of charming grin that had earned him the title of ‘The Negotiator’. Not the mischievous smirk he wore when he would drag her into trouble as younglings. Not even the soft smile he offered to the younglings who answered his questions correctly. This was the quietly dazzling smile he had always reserved for her, one that melted away her worries and seemed to put him at ease as well. It silently communicated all kinds of warmth and kindness and understanding. It was exactly what she needed to see right now. 

If Obi-Wan could still manage to smile at Luminara like this in spite of all that had gone wrong today, then perhaps not all hope was lost. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright folks we're in the thick of it now
> 
> thank you to everyone who took the time to read this! it means the world to me! let me know what you thought!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! I am so terribly sorry that this chapter has taken so long but I live in America and things have been crazy for the past couple of weeks. I hope that the length and topics of this chapter make up for my absence and that you all enjoy the read!

Luminara wanted nothing more than to be able to stop moving. She wanted to lie down in a comfortable bed, preferably back on Coruscant, with her padawan safely tucked away in her own quarters and all of their injuries healed. And what she wouldn’t give for a hot shower right now.

The Pacithhip had been following them all day, forcing their group to remain on the run throughout the afternoon. They had tried to stop a few times, kneeling over streams for water breaks or leaning against tree trunks to catch their breaths, only for their pursuers to close in every time. They’d had one extremely close call where Anakin would have certainly been a shish kabob if he hadn’t tripped over a root at the perfect moment. 

Every single time that Luminara thought they were finally about to catch a break things managed to go horribly wrong again. And to make matters worse, Barriss was acting weird. Ahsoka had put the padawan down hours ago due to Barriss’ insistence that she was strong enough to walk and the way Ahsoka’s own muscles had started to tremble from exertion, so now the two walked side by side. To anyone else her apprentice would seem perfectly fine but Luminara knew that something was... off. 

The brisk pace their group had consistently maintained and the fact that they were being closely followed hadn’t allowed much opportunity for speaking throughout the day. But now the sun was beginning to set and there had been no Pacithhip sighting in the last hour so they slowed to a leisurely walk, which allowed the padawans to chat as they kept an eye out for somewhere to set up camp.

Luminara had been trailing at the back of the group, catching her breath and trying to ignore Obi-Wan’s persistent hovering when she noticed her padawan’s peculiar behavior. Barriss kept swaying and leaning in close to Ahsoka with every few strides as they walked onward. At first, she’d just been watching because she thought Barriss was about to pass out from blood loss or exhaustion finally catching up to her. Then Barriss did something extremely ‘un-Barriss’ and Luminara simply couldn’t tear her eyes away.

When Ahsoka gestured towards her master and did an (admittedly, spot-on) impersonation of him, Barriss  _ giggled _ .

Never in all their years together had Luminara heard such a dainty sound come from her padawan and that’s when realization dawned on her. It was like a lightbulb had suddenly flickered to life in front of her, she couldn’t believe she’d never noticed this before. 

Barriss had a crush.

Now that she had a moment to think about it, Luminara could definitely see some of the previous indicators that she had missed before. Like the way Barriss would sneak off when they were on Coruscant, claiming that she was going to study, only to return home hours later with a smile plastered to her face. Or the private communications Barriss would send when they were on hard missions that kept them away from home for long periods. And the way she was always so ready to trust Ahsoka in these kinds of life and death situations. She couldn’t believe she’d never noticed this before when all of the clues were staring her in the face.

These feelings seemed to be reciprocated if Ahsoka’s behavior was any indication. The Togruta could not stop fretting over Barriss, despite her padawan’s insistence that she was fine. Ahsoka’s hands were fidgeting at her side, as though she couldn’t stand the fact that they weren’t touching anymore, and her gaze never strayed from Barriss for longer than a few seconds. 

If Luminara was a better master she would discourage this, pull Barriss aside right now and tell her this wasn’t the path of a Jedi. Except she couldn’t do that, not when she could see Obi-Wan in her periphery. It would be hypocritical, and quite frankly petty, to tell off her padawan when she was also muddling through confusing feelings of the same nature.

No, she wouldn’t confront Barris with this. For now.

Luminara finally tore her eyes away from the padawans, giving them space to have a peaceful moment together. They could discuss all of this at a later date when death wasn’t so imminent and they’d all had some time to recover.

“What are you thinking about?” Obi-Wan’s soft voice questioned from beside her. She turned to look at him and found that his eyes were doing this kind of nervous dance. They wouldn’t quite settle on her but at the same time, it seemed like he didn’t want to look anywhere else. Interesting.

“Nothing of importance,” Luminara responded. There was no need to expose the teenagers.

Obi-Wan considered her for a moment, looking as though he did not fully believe her but decided not to probe any further. He nodded and cast his eyes towards the treetops, scanning the foliage as though there was something interesting in the leaves. Luminara rolled her eyes, he was hesitating. She could tell that he wanted her to tell him everything, what she was thinking about, what she was feeling, where she was hurt, how he could make it better. He’d always been like that, so wonderfully caring, but she was just too tired to get into it all right now.

However, there was one thing that she wanted to discuss with him. It was something that had been nagging at her since he’d dropped into the arena that morning. “Obi-Wan?”

“Luminara?” The Jedi echoed, his lips twitching upward as he pushed a branch aside for her.

“There is something I’ve been thinking about, actually. Something that just isn’t making sense to me.” He nodded, indicating for her to elaborate. Luminara wrung her hands, suddenly becoming a bit nervous as she explained her thoughts, “It’s just that... you were on Coruscant when I left the temple. Nowhere near the Outer Rim.”

There was a noticeable wince from Obi-Wan as he listened to her observation, which only encouraged Luminara to continue, “And you certainly weren’t with Skywalker when we made the distress call. You weren’t anywhere near this side of the galaxy and yet, here you are anyway.”

She let her statement hang in the air as they trailed behind the group, the distance slowly growing between them and the others. Luminara watched Obi-Wan’s face closely, trying to ascertain his reaction. He did a much better job of schooling his features now as he asked, “Is there a question you wanted to ask me?”

“Why are you here?” Obi-Wan opened his mouth to reply but Luminara cut him off with a raised hand. “I mean why are you  _ really _ here, Obi-Wan?”

The Jedi Master hesitated. Again. He’d been doing it all day and frankly, it was starting to piss her off. She had enough to deal with right now without trying to figure out what Obi-Wan was hiding from her. They’d known each other far too long for him to be playing this game.

After a tense beat of silence, he sighed, “I’m here because the Council sent me. Anakin sent word to us when he hadn’t heard from you so Master Windu asked me to accompany him on the rescue mission.”

“And why would he do that?” Luminara snapped as she rounded on him. “Help me to understand why Master Windu would send you halfway across the galaxy just to rescue us when we are spread so thin. Barriss and I weren’t even supposed to be here but we came because there aren’t enough Jedi to go around, so what in the name of the Force are you doing here? And why won’t you just tell me? I’ve been through enough at this point that I shouldn’t have to make guesses about this!”

For once in his life, Obi-Wan had no clue what to say. He stared at Luminara, mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with an acceptable answer. The moment dragged on as Obi-Wan scrambled but Luminara had had enough. She was confused, she was angry, and she was exhausted. She did not need to hear another lie today. “Fine, you don’t have to answer me now. But know that I will ask you again later and when I ask you  _ will not  _ lie to me again, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Do I make myself clear?”

The Jedi nodded dejectedly, kicking a pine cone out of their path as they fell back into a dangerously tense silence. As the moment passed a small feeling of guilt crept into Luminara’s chest, she probably shouldn’t have gone off on her friend like that. He had just traveled halfway across the galaxy to save her after all. But she knew he was hiding something from her and this was no time for secrets, not when they were all depending on each other to survive.

“Hey look at this!” Anakin called, pulling them from their sullen moment and waving for them to catch up with the rest of the group. They quickly made their way over, coming to stand just behind the padawans as Anakin cheerily announced, “I found our hiding spot for the night.”

It was a good find, Luminara would give him that. Anakin had found a cave just beyond the tree line at the base of the mountain. It was wide-mouthed and deep enough to house all of them without giving away their presence. It was the perfect place to stop, recover, and plan their next move. Especially with the stream they’d only just stopped at so close by as well. 

As the sun began to set their group clambered into the cave, each of them collapsing from exhaustion in various positions. The clones, Anakin, and Obi-Wan all leaned against the cave wall or moved farther into the cave to sit down on the dirt floor. Meanwhile, the girls made it just far enough inside the cave so as not to be seen from the outside before laying down. Luminara and Barriss both carefully lowered themselves to the ground before rolling onto their backs. Ahsoka simply dropped to her knees and then collapsed face-first onto the ground with a loud groan. 

They all rested in silence for a few minutes, indulging in the fact that they were out of immediate danger. As they recuperated Luminara glanced around the group, making sure that everyone was still okay. When her eyes made their way to Barriss they landed on a shared problem that she had almost forgotten needed to be dealt with. 

Luminara lifted her arm in the air, showing off the restraining band sitting just above her elbow. “I don’t suppose anyone knows how to get this off?”

Barriss raised her arm overhead to be examined as well. Everyone else moved in closer, trying to get a good look at the bands and the mechanics behind it. After a moment of analysis they all glanced between each other with puzzled expressions, it seemed like no one was quite sure what to do. 

Ahsoka scooted closer to Barriss and grabbed her arm to get a better look at the band. “Hm, well it doesn’t look like there’s any kind of locking device or lever that would just release a clasp. And they look like they’re made from a pretty sturdy metal too. What do you think, master?”

They all looked to Anakin who was scratching his chin as he stared at the devices. Luminara could practically see the gears turning in his head as he pondered over possible solutions. Then his eyes lit up and a grin broke out on his face as he announced, “I think I’ve got it. Master Unduli, if you wouldn’t mind stretching your arm flat out on the ground.”

Despite her confusion, Luminara followed orders and dropped her arm. After a second, Anakin’s face appeared over hers and he smiled at his padawan. “Snips, I think that the key to cracking this device is to think of it as a nut. A really, really hard nut.”

It was then that Luminara understood what Skywalker’s plan was.

As Anakin removed his saber from his belt she turned her head away, not wanting to witness the potential breaking of her arm. Everyone watched as Skywalker raised the hilt of his sheathed saber over his head and then brought it down hard, slamming it on the band, resulting in a metallic  _ ping _ . Luminara’s arm jerked with the impact but then all of the pressure from the restrained area suddenly disappeared. When she turned back, Luminara found that the band was laying in two pieces on the ground and she was finally free of its hold.

While Anakin moved to execute the same procedure on Barriss, Luminara relished in the feeling of the Force encompassing her once more. Having been without that connection was like losing a limb. Gaining it back made her feel whole once again. To know that she was reconnected with the Force was an indescribable comfort to Luminara and from the look on her padawan’s face, she knew Barriss was having the same experience. 

As they rubbed feeling back into parts of their arms, Gree made his way over to his Jedi. They both sat up to listen as he said, “The boys managed to salvage some supplies from our ship, including medical kits. Would you both allow them to take a look at you before we do anything else?”

Luminara glanced around Gree’s legs to find the other soldiers hovering nearby with medical kits hugged to their chests, anxious to get started. She nodded her approval and waved them over, grateful that her men had the foresight to go back for such supplies. 

As Buzz knelt before her, Luminara leaned back against the cave wall and braced herself for the impending discomfort. He quickly set about wiping down her face and hands with a wet cloth, cleaning away the layers of blood and dirt that had settled on her skin. She felt like a grubby toddler but it needed to be done.

Luminara grimaced as she looked down at the dirty rag, she’d known she hadn’t looked great but she certainly hadn’t felt  _ that _ grimy.

Buzz moved on to gingerly prod at her ribs and Luminara had to grit her teeth against the resulting flare of pain. The soldier winced, “I’m sorry General but this is going to hurt. Unfortunately, we don’t have anything in these kits to really help with the pain.”

“It’s okay Buzz, I can take a little pain,” Luminara patted his forearm to offer some reassurance as she did her best not to squirm under his touch. The dubious look on Buzz’ face said that he didn’t entirely believe her but he carried on anyway, moving as gently as possible.

As the assault on her ribcage continued Obi-Wan came to kneel down at her side, moving into her line of sight despite Luminara’s best attempts to look away. She was still angry at him. But some of that anger subsided as his features softened and he quietly asked, “How can I make it better? Anything you need.”

It was a sweet gesture, she had to admit. For the time being Luminara could find it within herself to put aside her feelings and revisit her irritation at a later date. Right now she needed a distraction. “It would make me feel better if we could all discuss the plan moving forward.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan sighed in relief, glad to be able to do something that would help. As the Jedi turned to draw everyone’s attention one of his hands moved to rest on her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze before falling away. 

It was probably meant to be a calming gesture, a comfort offered to a friend in need, but it had quite the opposite effect. Luminara’s eyes bulged as she looked at the offending hand, not quite believing that he had just done that. Especially with Buzz examining her so closely that he could probably hear the way her heart had most definitely skipped a beat.

“Just as I suspected, General,” Buzz’ diagnosis drew her from her mild panic, she would have to overanalyze that fleeting touch later. “A couple broken and bruised ribs. Honestly, I have no idea how you managed to keep up with us all day. I would’ve collapsed all the way back in those vents. Now let’s take a look at your head.”

As Buzz helped her scoot forward to create enough space for him to get behind her and examine the back of her skull, Obi-Wan began the discussion about their next steps. 

“I think some reconnaissance should be our first priority in the morning. We need to learn more about this planet and the Pacithhip before anything else,” Obi-Wan proposed, looking around to see how his idea was received.

Anakin nodded in agreement but added, “At the same time, I think it would be worth our time to take a look at the ships again. We should see if there’s any chance of salvaging the supplies for Ryloth and if any kind of communication devices survived from our ship.”

That all sounded good to Luminara, who was trying to resist the urge to yank her head out of Buzz’ grip. The way he was poking at her was bringing on a massive headache and she had a sinking feeling that he was going to declare her concussed at any moment.

“What about the mountains?” Ahsoka questioned.

All heads turned towards the padawan. Ahsoka was sitting beside Barriss, holding her uninjured hand as Draa stitched up the mangled arm. The Mirialan’s face was passive as Draa began suturing, but her death grip on Ahsoka’s hand gave away how much pain she was in. Ahsoka was doing her absolute best not to show that her hand was in danger of falling off but her squirming was a clear indicator of her own discomfort.

“Well, what about the mountains?” Luminara prompted.

Ahsoka thought over her words before elaborating. “The vent we came out of was close to the base of the nearest mountain range, so I think it’s safe to assume that part of their underground network extends beneath the mountains. So there has to be a door somewhere in those mountains if those guys are able to send whole hunting parties above ground, right?”

The Jedi Masters glanced between each other as they considered Ahsoka’s idea. She made a good point, there had to be a larger entrance somewhere. If they knew where that door was they could do any number of things, including stealing a ship. “Good thinking, Snips,” Anakin praised.

“This is too much ground to cover in one day,” Gree pointed out. “We’re going to have to split up if we’re going to accomplish all of this.”

An argument began about how they should best divide their group, everyone had a different opinion, but Luminara tuned out the debate when she felt Buzz kneel down beside her. “General,” the clone started softly, “I have to take a look at the wounds on your back but I was just wondering... are those, uh, what I think they are.”

Acknowledging a source of pain always seemed to make it feel so much worse. 

As Luminara thought about the lashes on her back, a sensation like a raging fire broke out along the damaged skin, invisible flames lapping at the dirty wounds. It was all she could do to stifle a groan as she shuddered through the wave of pain. 

Once the intense pain subsided to a low simmer, Luminara turned to Buzz and whispered ever so quietly, “Your suspicions are correct, however, this does not require a scene, Buzz. Please just dress them and then drop it. I don’t want any fuss, understood?”

There was a pause as Buzz glanced between his general and her wounds; the clone had to work hard to fight back his rising nausea. To see such common and dirty wounds on a woman who he held such high respect for, who was normally so clean and dignified, filled him with boiling anger. Anger that he wasn’t quite able to mask as he silently nodded and returned to his spot behind Luminara to begin flushing out the wounds.

As soon as Buzz set to work rinsing out the wounds and gently swiping the cleaning rag across her tender flesh, the urge to throw up became overwhelming. Luminara knew he was being as gentle as possible but the pain was immense and despite her best efforts, hot tears began to well in her eyes. She ducked her head to hide her stinging eyes, not wanting to draw attention. With every touch Buzz applied Luminara had to force out a shaky exhale through her nose and do everything in her power to prevent the groans and gasps from escaping her mouth.

In spite of all her work to prevent it, someone did take notice of her pain. Barriss timidly called from a few feet away, “Master?”

“Just focus on your arm, Barriss,” Luminara quickly replied, hoping that the others hadn’t taken notice of the obvious pain in her voice. Of course, she wasn’t that lucky.

“Luminara?” came the soft question from just in front of her bent knees. She quickly swiped a hand across her eyes, trying to rid herself of the pooling tears, before raising her head to meet Obi-Wan’s gaze.

“I am fine, really,” she grit out, clamping her eyes shut as Buzz touched a particularly tender area. “I promise you.”

Obi-Wan looked between the Jedi and the soldier tending to her, taking note of the obvious pain on his friend’s face but more importantly, the outraged expression of the clone behind her. Without another word he stood up and moved to investigate the source of all this anguish. When he came to stand beside Buzz, the Jedi couldn’t help but gasp, surprised to see the angry red marks marring the otherwise untouched green expanse of her back. “Luminara why didn’t you say anything? How could I not have seen these all day?”

It felt childish but Luminara could not meet his gaze as she murmured, “I’m good at hiding things I don’t want to be seen. We didn’t need anything slowing us down today.”

“We were moving all day, surely you had to be in pain!” Obi-Wan exclaimed as he squatted beside Luminara, who still wouldn’t meet his eyes. Instead, she looked up to find Gree’s steady gaze as Obi-wan continued to scold. “That was reckless and irresponsible. What if you have an infection? What if they had started bleeding again? Did you think about that?”

“Master, they look so much worse than the last time I checked them.” Barriss’ voice was strained as she peered at her master’s injuries from afar. “You should have said something, they needed to be cleaned.”

Before Luminara could defend her actions, Obi-Wan dropped to a knee beside her and furiously whispered, “Why didn’t you say anything? You should have told me, at the very least. Now who’s the liar?”

Having her words thrown back at her was not at all what Luminara was expecting right now. And based on her companions’ stunned expressions, nobody else had anticipated such an outburst either. Anakin and Ahsoka were staring at their master in bewilderment, mouths hanging open in shock. Barriss, Gree, and Draa all quickly averted their eyes, feeling as though they shouldn’t be privy to the scene unfolding in front of them.

It was embarrassing. She wasn’t a youngling who needed reprimanding because she had failed to sit still during meditation, Luminara Unduli was a Jedi Master who made a decision to take a course of action that she thought would be best for the group. She did not need to be scolded as though she had just committed some heinous crime. Luminara wasn’t overly keen on big emotions, but there was one particular one she was feeling right now and she was going to express it: rage.

“And when would we have had time for all that, Master Kenobi?” Luminara furiously retorted, getting in Obi-Wan’s face as she stared him down. “We were on the run! There was no time to stop just because I was a tad uncomfortable. I really would have  _ loved _ to just stop and ask for help but if I had done that do you know where we would all be right now? Dead. Or worse, back in one of those cells. So don’t you dare act like I was being irresponsible! I did what needed to be done.”

The quiet that followed her enraged speech was long and the tension in the air was palpable as the Jedi Masters stared each other down. No one else was quite sure how to react as they had never seen either General show such intense and bitter emotion. Luminara and Obi-Wan continued to stare each other down, neither one willing to back down from their position. Behind Luminara, Buzz stopped everything he was doing, not sure if he should continue cleaning the cuts or not.

After a few moments, Anakin cleared his throat and suggested that they all go take a trip to the stream to look for food, not so subtly giving Luminara and Obi-Wan the space to work this out.

Even after everyone was gone, the two Jedi spent quite a bit more time on their staredown. And then Obi-Wan broke. With a deep sigh, he rocked back to sit on the ground and carded a hand through his hair, before asking, “Why wouldn’t you tell me that they whipped you, Luminara?”

There was such sorrow in his voice that Luminara felt almost all of the anger sitting in her core evaporate into thin air. She slumped forward, putting her head in her hands as she stared into her lap, “As I said, there just wasn’t time. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell you because I did. I really, really did. I just didn’t want to have to think about it all anymore and I couldn’t possibly risk getting us captured again.”

“I’m sorry, Nara,” Obi-Wan used her childhood nickname, which never failed to make her smile, even if it was a bit morose. He sighed and continued, “I’m sorry that I got upset with you like that and I’m even more sorry that you got hurt so badly. It’s just that...”

“‘It’s just that’ what?” Luminara questioned as she turned to look at him. He was exhausted and a bit raw right now, that was easy enough to figure out, and she had a feeling she could get the answers she’d been looking for earlier if she kept him talking.

Kenobi leaned back on his palms and let his head roll back, staring up at the cave ceiling as he tried to come up with a coherent answer. When he finally landed on what he wanted to say, he continued to stare up at the ceiling as he spoke, “It’s just that it’s  _ you _ , Luminara. When Anakin told us about your crash and the distress call I asked the Council for permission to come and help you. They said no. It’s just like you said earlier, we’re stretched far too thin. But I couldn’t just sit around and wait for news, I couldn’t just  _ hope  _ that you would be okay. So I disobeyed orders, took a ship, flew to meet Anakin and Ahsoka, and then came here for you. 

“The whole way here all I could think about was whether or not you’d still be in one piece when I got here. I failed you once Luminara, I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most and because of that you suffered for years. I can’t just sit back and watch you go through more pain when I finally have the power to do something about it. Not again.”

And so the truth comes out. 

Obi-Wan was here for her, in spite of the Council’s orders against such a mission. He had flown across the galaxy to a planet holding the unknown and risked everything for her. Years of past turmoil had pushed their way to the surface in the span of a few short days. Luminara felt a little bad for chewing him out now, but on the other hand, they could have avoided a lot of this strife if he’d told her all this earlier.

“Obi,” Luminara quietly started, resting a trembling hand on his knee, “I promise you that everything is going to be okay, that I am okay. This isn’t like when we were padawans. I can defend myself now and I know when to ask for help. I know when to ask  _ you _ for help. History is not repeating itself and this time I’m capable of letting you in, you just need to let me do it in my own time. Can you allow me that?”

The Jedi heaved a deep breath and rolled his head forward to look at her with shining eyes. She hadn’t been expecting this from him, they hadn’t spoken of such things in years and she certainly hadn’t thought he would be thinking of all that now. But secretly, she was glad for it. To know that he had been worried for her, that he had cared so much, it was a huge comfort. 

“I can give you that,” Obi-Wan promised, enveloping her hand with his calm grasp. 

They settled into a quiet moment as they sat alone in the cave, each of them privately picking up their scattered emotions and carefully reconstructing some of their walls. Except this time, Luminara was sure to build hers much lower, knowing that soon enough Obi-Wan would come looking for a way to jump over them again.

Eventually, the sun disappeared below the horizon line and the others returned to the cave. They slowly filed back in, but only after they’d shoved Draa in first to make sure both Jedi had calmed down. While Buzz finished dressing Luminara’s wounds, Anakin and Gree began cooking the fish they’d caught in the stream. They all ate a decent dinner together before settling into the cave and preparing for sleep. 

As Anakin moved to the front of the cave to begin his watch, everyone else migrated farther back to settle down on the cave floor. Just as all the fidgeting and rolling over to find a comfortable position had ceased a mighty roar sounded in the distant woods, echoing around the cave as the sound bounced off the walls. Everyone tensed, shooting back into sitting positions and reaching towards their weapons as they braced for a fight. They waited like that for several stressful minutes but they heard no further noises besides the bugs chirping and the frogs croaking.

Anakin let out an uneasy laugh as he sat back down at the front of the cave, “Don’t worry, if any beast comes knocking on our door I’ll be sure to wake you all. Until then, everyone get some rest.”

No one needed to be told twice. 

  
  
  


The next morning saw an early start, which was good because it took quite a while for them to finish making their plans from the previous night. There had been quite the debate over how best to divide their groups and who should be assigned which tasks, with most of the bickering happening between Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan. Every time another row started, Barriss glanced to her master in concern but Luminara could only offer a shrug in response. She’d come to expect this kind of behavior when she worked with the trio of Jedi.

“Now that we’ve wasted so much time arguing on it,” Obi-Wan started as he rolled his eyes at his former apprentice, “are we all in agreement on the following: Anakin, Buzz, and Draa will head into the mountains to look for an opening. Ahsoka, Barriss, and Gree will head farther east and scout more of the planet. Luminara and I will head back to the ships and see what’s salvageable. Correct?”

A chorus of anxious agreement answered the master, they were all ready to get going.

“Good. Let’s get started,” he moved towards the cave mouth, not waiting to see if anyone had any questions or concerns. They had wasted enough time as it was, if they all wanted to be back by sunset they needed to leave now. 

As they all began heading in separate directions Luminara caught Barriss’ eye and nodded a farewell as she disappeared into the woods. Once her apprentice was well out of sight, Luminara turned away and set off after Obi-Wan. They quickly fell into pace beside each other, a comfortable silence settling over them as they focused on the task ahead.

Now that they weren’t running for their lives and she had a chance to take it all in, Luminara had to admit that the forest was actually quite beautiful. Despite the thick foliage, little gaps of sunlight broke through and painted the forest floor in a warm golden hue. Lopsided branches tangled together overhead into intricate natural archways and patches of flowers sprung to life every few feet. The soft babbling of the brook was constant as they walked parallel to the waterway they had followed yesterday. Now that they were well-rested and no longer in need of constant stops, it was a much quicker and picturesque journey.

They had been walking in their amicable silence for quite some time when Obi-Wan burst out in unprompted laughter. What started as a quiet chuckle quickly grew in volume as the sound bubbled up from his belly, becoming outrageously infectious even though Luminara had no clue what they were laughing about. “What could have possibly brought this on?”

“Do you remember the night,” Obi-Wan questioned between bursts of laughter, “when we snuck out onto the temple roof to look at the festival lights on Coruscant? That parade was happening and we weren’t allowed to go for whatever reason so we decided to be rebels and climbed out a window to watch it pass by.”

Luminara cringed, bringing her hand to her forehead as she thought back on that night. “I remember Master Jinn catching us not even twenty minutes later. I have never been so embarrassed in all my life! Your master scared us so bad that we almost fell off the roof.”

“Us?” Obi-Wan grinned as he playfully nudged her shoulder. “No, I distinctly remember you shrieking and then jumping so hard that you started to slide off the roof. If I hadn’t grabbed you when you slid past you would’ve been a stain on the training yard floor, a cautionary tale for generations of Jedi to come.”

The Mirialan’s expression soured at Obi-Wan’s statement, his mischief quickly starting to wear on her. Luminara gave him a small shove as they continued walking. “If I had become a stain I would’ve come back to haunt you for the rest of your days, seeing as how you were the one who pulled me through that window. Why were you even thinking about that anyway? See a ghost?”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes as he ducked under a low hanging branch. “I don’t know. I suppose memories like that always resurface whenever I see you. It’s a nice break to think about all the fun we used to have rather than... well, everything we have to think about these days.”

His words were laced with such nostalgia that Luminara couldn’t help but think back as well. So many of her good memories were with Obi-Wan, some of the best moments of her life even. But those days were in the past. They weren’t padawans who shared everything anymore, they were generals who waved when their ships passed in battle. “I can’t remember the last time I truly had fun, let alone with you, Obi.”

It was an honest admission, no matter how unfortunate. Both of them knew things should be different. At their ages they should be teaching padawans to traverse the galaxy, overseeing peaceful negotiations far and wide, and spending longer than a few brief days on Coruscant in the company of their fellow knights. Not staying up all night to discuss battle strategies, burying friends every other day, and trying to suppress the severe trauma they experienced daily. But right now the galaxy couldn’t possibly afford to spare them any time for fun.

Those crystal blue eyes stared dead ahead as Obi-Wan thought on his response. “Honestly, neither can I. This never-ending war has changed so much. I can’t remember the last time I had a genuine moment of rest, let alone time to relax and do something anywhere near the realm of ‘fun’. And I don’t think I’ve seen you outside of a Council meeting or off the battlefield in almost a year.”

“There was a time I couldn’t walk down a hallway without bumping into you,” Luminara joked as she minded the roots littering the path underfoot, concentrating on avoiding a sprained ankle. That was seriously the last thing she needed right now. “Can I tell you something, Obi-Wan?”

“Anything.”

“I’m tired.” The two-word admission made Luminara feel as though she’d set a bird free. It was an unfathomable relief to be able to confide this to someone. “When the war started I was so sure we were going to win, that we were right, that the Jedi and the Republic were these unshakable pillars of order and progress. But the war is dragging on without a foreseeable end. Every day we gain ground just to lose it the following morning, we send out troops and they get slaughtered, we train padawans and they never reach knighthood. I’m tired of carrying the burden of war.”

Another moment of quiet passed between the Jedi as the weight of the worlds made itself known as it bore down on their shoulders, both Masters sagging under the pressure of such a task. The role of the Jedi ‘peacekeeper’ had changed so much from when they were padawans themselves, morphing into the unrecognizable duty they now carried out every day. Obi-Wan was well acquainted with the exhaustion Luminara spoke of.

Eventually, Luminara found her voice again, even if it was a bit timid. “I also find myself longing for home most days. It saddens me to know that we all spend so much time away from the temple these days. The constant absence makes me feel as though my connections within the order are fading with every passing day.”

When she glanced towards Obi-Wan, Luminara found that a smile had broken out on his face. He teased, “You know, it’s perfectly okay to say that you miss me. No one’s around to hear you admit it. It would be our little secret.”

Despite her initial instinct to slap that stupid smirk off of his face, Luminara relented, “Fine. I’ve missed you, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Happy?”

“Not particularly.” 

That stopped Luminara in her tracks. She grabbed the Jedi’s arm to stop him from walking through the next bush and spun him around to face her. “What do you mean? You’re not happy?”

“Of course I’m not happy, Luminara,” Obi-Wan ran a hand over his face. At this very moment he looked as tired as Luminara felt, she’d never seen him in such a state. “Everything that you just talked about? I’ve been having the same thoughts, I lose sleep pondering over whether or not this war will ever come to an end. I wake up every day and I brace myself for defeat because it seems like no matter how many victories we claim, the Separatists always have the lead. But... it’s not just the war that makes me unhappy.”

She peered at him expectantly, waiting for him to elaborate. The Jedi’s gaze dropped to his shoes as he timidly murmured, “I miss you too.”

“Oh.”

“I miss you most of the time,” he continued. It seemed that his admission had broken the dam and now everything was spilling out. “No matter how much time has passed since we saw each other last or how much space is between us, I miss you.”

With every few words, Obi-Wan took a small step farther into Luminara’s personal space. She couldn’t decide if she liked it or not. 

Obi-Wan pressed on, “Sometimes Anakin or Cody will say something that reminds me so much of you that I can’t think of anything else for the rest of the day. I land on a vaguely familiar planet and suddenly I’m lost in a memory of the nights we spent together in the archives when you would just rattle off facts about all the planets you’d just read about. There are moments when I have to do a double-take to make sure you’re not standing behind me because Ahsoka’s laughter sounds exactly like yours when you know that I’m the only one listening. Luminara, I hear you and I see you everywhere I go.”

As Obi-Wan slowly advanced, Luminara had taken the tiniest of baby steps backward in response. Her mind was telling her to run, to pull back before they both made a mistake, but her body was refusing to cooperate. A few more steps and her back bumped into a tree trunk, giving her no chance to chicken out of this conversation. Obi-Wan’s words were stirring up all those feelings again, the ones that left her angry and confused, but mostly longing for him. As she peered up into his eyes, Luminara knew there was no going back from whatever was about to happen.

“Why are you telling me all this?” Luminara asked, trying to buy herself some time even though she knew it was pointless. 

“Because you deserve to know, Nara,” Obi-Wan stopped to stand in front of her, leaving just enough space to flee if she so desired but her feet were rooted in place. One of his hands reached for hers as he murmured, “I’m tired of hiding how I feel and something tells me that you are too.”

Time seemed to stop as Obi-Wan began to lean in towards her, his eyes flicking back and forth between her eyes and her lips. He was looking for permission and she was ready to give it. 

Just as she started to tilt her chin up to meet him, a series of snorts and chuffs sounded from somewhere close by. Without warning, their moment was ruined and Obi-Wan was pulling her to the ground, hiding their bodies in the closest bush.

They flipped onto their stomachs, peering through the leaves to look at the scene in front of them. It seemed that the Pacithhip had the same idea as them and had come back to scavenge supplies from the unoccupied ships. Several companies of the slavers had moved into the area and were in the midst of emptying the cargo holds of both ships, taking anything and everything they could get their hands on. 

Any leftover shock from their ‘almost’ moment quickly dissipated as Luminara watched the Pacithhip’s operation. The dumbstruck feeling passed and irritation steadily grew in its place. Her hands fisted as she growled, “Those supplies are for starving freedom fighters, not filthy greedy slaver scum.”

She made a move to jump up from the bush, prepared to fight everyone in the clearing, but Obi-Wan’s arms looped around her middle and held her in place. Luminara put up a fight for a few moments before sagging in defeat in his arms. Obi-Wan whispered in her ear, “You can’t fight thirty people when you’re injured and without a lightsaber. We’re going to have to go back to camp and tell the others before we do anything else.”

“Fine, let’s go.” Luminara wriggled out of his grasp and crawled backward out of the bush. Obi-Wan quickly followed and together they quietly slipped back into the woods. Once they’d covered a good distance Luminara grabbed his hand and pulled Obi-Wan into a jog, “Come, we must get back as soon as possible. We need to figure out how to fix this.”

Without another word they dashed back into the heart of the forest, side by side as they raced back to camp. They would have to be brave enough to seize their moment another time.

  
  
  
  


Barriss’ group had set out at a walk that morning with the intention of taking in as much of their surroundings as possible. Almost an hour has passed since their initial departure and so far all they’d seen was more of the same trees, flowers, and rocks that they’d traipsed through yesterday. It was all very beautiful, but not particularly thrilling. 

Their team hadn’t been given the most exciting mission, which Ahsoka had whined about initially, but Barriss couldn’t have been more relieved. She needed time to heal and let her body recover from all the ‘excitement’ of the past few days. An uneventful walk through the tranquil woods, accompanied by two of her closest friends, was a perfect way to do just that.

The calm of their nature walk was starting to make Ahsoka antsy, Barriss could see it in the way her feet scuffed the ground and in the constant flexing of her fingers. The Togruta probably wished she was with her master, taking on the riskier mission and potentially seeing some action, but Barriss was glad she was here instead. They’d spent so little time together recently, Barriss wanted to hear all about Ahsoka’s life since they had seen each other last and fill her in on everything that’s been going on in her own life. She’d thought they could catch up while they observed the forest but so far that was proving to be a bit difficult.

Shortly after they’d left the campsite and finished discussing logistics with Gree, everyone had pretty much fallen silent. At first, it had been comfortable, they were taking everything in and being vigilant in case of possible threats. But as the minutes passed by things had slowly become more strained. Gree was being his normal quiet self but both padawans were well aware that normally when they were together there was endless chatter, neither girl was capable of holding in a single thought when they were in each other’s presence. Except for right now, when it seemed as though they had both lost the ability to string together a coherent sentence. 

It was more than a little uncomfortable and frankly, Barriss was embarrassed that Gree had to witness this.

Apparently, Gree was feeling that way too. Only a few more long minutes passed before he announced that he was going to run ahead of them and do some scouting. The soldier didn’t wait for any kind of affirmation before bolting into the woods, leaving the padawans by themselves. Stifling in all their awkwardness.

After a few beats of silence, Barriss cleared her throat, “You know, I never got to say thank you for the rescue yesterday. Master Unduli and I had a plan when we walked into that arena but everything went so wrong so quickly, I don’t know what we would’ve done if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”

“It’s not a big deal, really. Master Kenobi and Skyguy did most of the real work,” Ahsoka shrugged, trying to act nonchalant even though she was already blushing from the praise.

Barriss reached out and caught her friend’s shoulder, spinning the padawan to face her. She wanted Ahsoka to look into her eyes and understand exactly how much she meant everything that she was saying. “It is a big deal, Ahsoka. That awful Trandoshan would have killed me if you hadn’t been there. When he was standing over me I was so helpless and terrified but then you saved me. Thank you, Ahsoka. You are my hero.”

The padawan’s cheeks flushed an even deeper red and Barriss had to fight back a smirk. Ahsoka’s timid reaction was really quite adorable, it wasn’t often that she was too shy to handle praise.

Eventually, Ahsoka found her voice. “You know I won’t let you forget that you called me your hero, right? I’m going to put that somewhere in the archives so that everybody knows you said it.”

“I’ll shout it from the rooftops if you want me too,” Barriss grinned. Her smile quickly faded, however, as her mind drifted back to the fight. If she closed her eyes for too long she could picture the Lomax brothers standing over her, smiling with teeth stained red from her blood and ready to strike the final blow. The image was so vivid in her mind that her body shuddered, which Ahsoka caught sight of.

“What’s wrong?” Ahsoka questioned, gingerly reaching out for Barriss’ arms. “Are you in pain? Do you need to sit?”

Gentle hands circled around Barriss’ wrists, grounding her in the moment as she blinked hard, trying to force the violent images from her mind. “I can’t stop thinking about it, Ahsoka. About the fight. I was just so powerless without my saber or my connection to the force. I’ve never felt so scared in my life.”

Ahsoka’s scoff drew her from her trance. The other padawan was looking at her in disbelief and Barriss could only stare back in confusion. “You’re joking right?” Ahsoka asked, cocking her head to the side with a furrowed brow. “You might have been scared but I can guarantee you that you were not powerless. I watched that whole fight and I’ve never seen you show so much strength. Barriss, you took down one fully grown Trandoshan with a single kick! And you had the other one of the ropes after throwing a couple punches! That’s not what I would call powerless. Trust me, I’m very aware of how much strength it takes to take down a Trandoshan and you made it look easy.”

Barriss shook her head, refusing to hear reason, “Yes, but then one of them threw me like I was just some ankle-biting pest and the other almost ripped my arm off. I couldn’t defend myself and I couldn’t defend my master. Some Jedi I am.”

She cast her gaze to the ground, unable to look at her friend as she fought back the rising lump in her throat, she was not going to cry again. Barriss was starting to wish Gree hadn’t walked away, then she wouldn’t have started this conversation and she wouldn’t be surrendering her fears like this. But then Ahsoka was tilting to the side and forcing her way into Barriss’ line of vision, montrals drooping to the side and wearing a sympathetic smile as she reprimanded, “Don’t say that. You’re beating yourself up for no reason. Can I give you some advice, Barriss?”

“I suppose,” Barriss sniffled, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. 

“You have to stop fixating on things that are out of your control. You’ll never heal that way. You were trapped in a terrible situation, literally one of the worst possible scenarios, and you survived. I watched your fight and the entire time you moved like a master, like you were unstoppable even though the odds were stacked so high against you. So what if you needed help to finish it? You kept Luminara alive and you lasted longer in that fight than even some of the best Jedi Knights could have. So, chin up. Everyone needs help now and then.”

Somehow Ahsoka always seemed to know exactly what to say to make everything better. As the padawan’s words sunk in, Barriss felt some of the tension leave her shoulders and she offered her friend a smile in gratitude. Warm hands slipped from her wrists to settle in her palms, giving the firm squeeze Ahsoka always offered her when Barriss was overwhelmed and in need of comfort.

When Barriss was certain that her voice wouldn’t fail, she lightly teased, “You’re almost starting to sound as wise as Master Kenobi.”

The Togruta shrugged, moving their still clasped hands as she grinned, “Eh, that always happens when I spend a few days with him. Give it a couple of days after he leaves and I’ll start to sound more like Anakin again.”

They shared an easy laugh, taking the moment to quiet some of the darker thoughts that were circling through Barriss’ mind. After a moment of contentedly staring at each other, Barriss seemed to remember that they had a task they were supposed to be completing. With a tilt of her head, she motioned back towards the path that Gree had disappeared down a few minutes ago and Ahsoka reluctantly nodded her understanding. As Barriss pulled her hands from Ahsoka’s grip to start walking, the Togruta hooked their pinkies together, prolonging the contact for just a moment longer before letting Barriss completely pull away.

Barriss would be lying if she said that didn’t create any butterflies in her stomach. 

As they began to trail after the clone, the padawans let silence envelop them again. This time the quiet was much more comfortable and Barriss found that the sounds of nature seemed a bit more chipper as they set out once more.

They had been walking for a few minutes when Ahsoka cleared her throat and began, “So before we came here, Anakin and I were on a mission on Tatooine. Wanna hear about it?”

“Of course!” Barriss beamed as they strolled through a patch of flowers.

“So we were following this bounty hunter who just had to cut through the Hutt’s territory, right?” Ahsoka began explaining, telling the story with accompanying hand gestures. “Poor Anakin, he was absolutely miserable the whole time. He hates sand, he tells me about how much he despises it every time we go anywhere with a single grain of the stuff. But something about Tatooine really... excites me. I don’t know what it is, the desert just seems like it holds so much potential. It’s so full of life if you know where to look, when it has no right to be. Does that make sense?”

Barriss laughed and nodded her understanding. “I know what you mean. The first time my master took me to a desert world we happened upon an oasis and I was stunned. It was truly beautiful.”

“Yeah, exactly! We saw a lot of beautiful things while we were there, actually, even though Anakin would never admit it. Like we stopped in this one bar that the bounty hunter frequented and there was this really talented dancing troupe there. The lead dancer was actually this gorgeous Mirialan woman, not quite as pretty as you but still good-looking, and she was doing all these things with her—”

As Ahsoka spoke Barriss froze, immediately realizing what had just happened, but it seemed that her friend needed an extra second for her brain to catch up to her mouth. The Togruta blushed a deep red for the second time that day, clamping a hand over her mouth as she did her best to prevent any further embarrassment. The slip up had greatly intensified that fluttering in Barriss’ stomach and she wanted so badly to ask Ahsoka more about it but she took pity on the Togruta instead. 

“Well,” Barriss laughed, “Maybe we’ll run into her again someday and we can do a comparison. Although, somehow I feel like an exotic dancer might beat me out in the beauty department.”

It was meant to be a joke but the way Ahsoka’s head shot up and her mouth fell open made it seem like the padawan was ready to seriously argue with the notion. 

Before Ahsoka could start down that road, they were interrupted by a shout coming from somewhere up ahead. The frightened exclamation had come from a voice they both knew all too well. The padawans cast a worried glance at each other before jumping into action as they called, “Gree!”

The girls sprinted down the path the Commander had been following, vaulting over roots and ducking under branches without slowing down. After a few strides, Ahsoka’s long legs began to outpace Barriss and the Mirialan started to fall behind. She watched as Ahsoka barreled through a bush, vanishing from sight with a shout.

Ducking her head and picking up the speed, Barriss burst through the shrub a moment later, using her good arm to shield her eyes as she pushed through the leaves and branches. As she emerged from the bush she was surprised to find that her lead foot didn’t land on solid ground but sliced through open-air instead. However, before she could fully pitch forward into the unknown, one of Ahsoka’s arms hooked around her waist and pulled her back, preventing her freefall. 

Ahsoka’s grip pulled Barriss’ body tight against her, making sure that the padawan’s feet were on steady ground before her hold slackened. As they clung to each other, staring down into the chasm they’d almost fallen into, Barriss became acutely aware of the way both of their hearts were racing despite having caught their breaths. Were she any braver she might’ve made a comment about it but she never got the chance to work up the nerve. 

“Commander!” Gree’s desperate shout pulled the girls out of their embrace, both Jedi springing apart as though they had burned each other. “Pull me up! Pull me up!”

Barriss quickly, but carefully, edged her way back to the side of the chasm and peered down the sheer rock wall. Sure enough, her Commander was clinging to a thick root jutting out of the cliff face a few meters below. The strained look on his face made it clear that Gree was getting dangerously close to losing his grip but he was too far down for them to just lean over and pull him up. She and Ahsoka were going to have to use the Force to lift him. 

She waved Ahsoka over and they set to work. Both Jedi closed their eyes, concentrating on the weight of Gree’s body as they worked in tandem. It took a minute but soon enough they had raised Gree up and over the side of the chasm, gently depositing him back on solid ground.

Gree heaved a sigh of relief as he sat up, offering the girls his gratitude as he took a moment to recover from the near-death experience.

Now that that issue had been taken care of and no one was in any immediate danger, a new noise caught Barriss’ attention. With short, cautious movements, she shuffled back to the cliff’s edge to investigate the source of the quiet roar and was surprised by what she found.

“Did you guys notice this?” Barriss called as she pointed to the bottom of the chasm where there was a river. The swiftly moving water was complete with jagged rock and white rapids. It was a good thing that they’d been able to pull Gree back up because that would have been a grizzly end.

Ahsoka helped Gree off the ground and then they both made their way over, although Gree moved a bit more apprehensively as he scowled at the dropoff. “It looks like its source sits close to the base of those mountains,” Ahsoka nodded her chin towards the nearest mountains looming over the tree line. “I’ll bet that if we follow the river to its source that we’ll find a way into the mountains.”

“You bet, huh?” Barriss teased. She was already starting to sound more like Master Skywalker again. 

Ahsoka rolled her eyes with a mischievous smirk. “Yeah, I’ll bet you one week of training yard time with the younglings. Now come on, what do you say?”

“You’re on.”

“The base of those mountains is probably only a ten-minute jog from here,” Gree observed, interrupting their shenanigans as he squinted up at the mountains, “I think it’s worth checking out.”

“Base of the mountains it is then. Lead the way, Commander.” Barriss nodded to Gree, who quickly backtracked through the shrub that had almost spelled all of their dooms and set off into the woods once more. Without another word the padawans set off after him, easily keeping pace as they picked their way through the woods. 

Gree was right, it only took them a few minutes to make it up to the mountain and a couple more to edge their way around to where the river disappeared. It seemed that the water was coming from a small alcove carved out of the backside of the mountain but the area wasn’t completely natural. The rushing water was filtering through a metallic grate and a few feet beyond that sat a door panel.

“Hah! Have fun with the younglings,” Ahsoka grinned as she spun around on Barriss, who was doing her very best to look pissed as she playfully elbowed the Togruta. Gree just huffed and shook his head as he watched them horse around. 

“Fine, you win. Now let’s go take a look at that panel, the Pacithhip must have some kind of operation in this part of the mountain if this tech is here,” Barriss refocused and started towards the panel. “Gree, do you think you could get us in?”

“Sure, just give me a few seconds,” The soldier took a second to stare at the panel in thought before popping off the covering and setting to work on the wires. Both padawans turned to keep an eye on the woods as he worked, watching for any potential threats on the horizon. It only took a few seconds before there was a  _ ‘hiss’ _ and the door slid open for them to slip through. 

When they emerged in the mountain Barriss tensed, unsure as to what they were about to walk into. However, their discovery was nothing like what she had been imagining. The sounds of the river were almost entirely muffled and rather than cave walls, they were staring at the same grey walls that had marked the tunnels she and her master had been marched through the day before. This room was different from the others she had seen though, there was technology lining the walls and a desk sitting in the far back corner with papers scattered about. It almost seemed like someone had left the room in a hurry, which could either be really good or really bad for them.

“Let’s make this quick, we don’t know if someone is going to come back here,” Barriss quietly directed, motioning for them to spread out and examine the room. Gree and Ahsoka moved to examine the nearby screens while she took a look at the contents of the desk.

The papers were all written in a language she didn’t understand, it must’ve been some intra-planetary documents. She gave the desk drawers a pull and they slid open with ease, revealing more files, some random trinkets, and a small blaster. Barriss palmed the weapon for a moment, considering swiping it for herself, but ultimately deciding against it. She didn’t like being without a method of defending herself, but if no one knew they were here then she needed to keep it that way.

“Hey check this out,” Ahsoka beckoned and Barriss came to peer over her shoulder. They were looking at a screen showing a readout of the surrounding star systems, with several dials and knobs running down the sides of the machine. “I think this is a communication device. It’s not quite as advanced as what we’re using on any Republic ship but I think I could still manage to transmit a distress signal to the Council. But I’m gonna need some time to be able to broadcast over a distance that far, this stuff is really, really old.”

Just as Ahsoka began to fidget with the dials, a snorting noise sounded from just outside the other door and they all flinched. It was undeniably the sound of several Pacithhip standing on the other side of the entrance, who could open the door and discover them at any second. “I don’t think we have time for this right now, Ahsoka,” Barriss whisper yelled. “They can’t know we were here if we’re going to be able to come back.”

The Togruta looked back and forth between her screen and the door for a moment, frantically trying to think of another option, before reluctantly backing away and nodding her understanding. With all the speed they could muster, the padawans and the clone made a break for the door they’d come through. Barriss turned her head to see the door slide shut just in time for the other entrance to open and a wave of immense relief mixed with the adrenaline pumping through her veins as they narrowly escaped. 

They ran until they were far away from the mountain facility, only slowing down when they were securely hidden in the forest once more. Even then they didn’t fully stop, instead, they just slowed to the point where they were able to talk to each other between breaths. 

“We need to get back in there,” Ahsoka called as she glanced over her shoulder. “That might be our only way to get a ship off of this hell hole planet.”

“Agreed, but first we need to get back to camp and tell everyone what we found,” Barriss confirmed. She picked up the pace a bit and moved to take the lead, veering back onto the path they’d been following earlier that day. Even though she’d almost died twice that morning, Barriss’ spirits were lifted as she ran back to camp, because for the first time since they’d crashed she felt like the tides were turning in their favor. Little by little, they were gaining control of this situation. And one way or another, she was going to get off of Shimia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again for sticking with me! what did you think?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone reconvenes to come up with a plan of action! And then the night takes a bit of a turn...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm sorry that it's been such a long time since I've updated but that quarantine depression really hit hard, ya know? And then college started which was a whole other obstacle. But it's done now! So here is your new chapter! I hope you all enjoy, this one was my favorite to write so far, and I want to say thank you all for sticking with me!

“Gree, do you think it should be taking them this long to get back?”

“I don’t know sir.”

“What if they ran into trouble? I mean, we would probably know if they got into any serious trouble, right?”

“I don’t know sir.”

“Well, what do you know Gree?!” The whine in Ahsoka’s voice picked up in pitch as her hands flailed in exasperation. Despite the grating questions, it was a rather adorable display. 

“That I don’t have the answers to any of your questions,” came the tired response from the Commander. 

Barriss looked on with an amused smirk as the Jedi and the soldier conversed. Ahsoka was looking more anxious by the second, her fingers kept fidgeting and she was constantly squinting at the tree line, while Gree was busy fighting off the galaxy’s biggest sigh. The poor man had been doing his best to answer Ahsoka’s questions for some time now but even he had started to reach his limit. After all, he only had as much information as they did. 

All of Barriss's energy was currently being spent on presenting a calm front to her friends. She sat cross-legged on the cave floor between them, commenting on the things she knew of and outwardly appearing quite entertained by their show. But in reality, she was the one putting on the show. The truth was that she was just as uneasy about the situation as Ahsoka was. If not more. 

Barriss Offee was a Jedi padawan who had spent most of her formative years fighting in a war so she was no stranger to fear and tragedy, but this mission was really starting to rattle her. There had been  _ so many _ close calls on this supposedly ‘simple mission’. Intense moments that could have easily spelled the end for everyone seemed to be never-ending. The morbid chain of events playing out had thoroughly fried her nerves, leaving Barriss unbelievably wound up. The last thing she needed right now was another source of stress, yet here they were, waiting for hours on end and praying that their friends would all return in one piece. 

She was going to need a long recovery after this mission.

If she spent too long thinking about it, Barriss started to feel foolish about being so scared due to the absence of her master. She hadn’t acted like this since her first days of apprenticeship, but right now she desperately needed a visual on the woman. After everything they’d just been through, she needed confirmation that Luminara was still in one piece. A difficult piece of information to come by when said master had traveled hours in the opposite direction of camp in an injured state.

When they had first realized they were going to have to wait a while for the others to return Barriss decided she needed to busy herself. To fight the rising anxiety she had attempted to meditate while the others chose their own methods of avoidance: training for Ahsoka and weapon maintenance for Gree. 

Things had started fine with everyone committing to their own ministrations if a tad half-heartedly. They lasted a whole thirty minutes doing their separate tasks before Ahsoka had groaned in frustration and began pulling at threads until eventually Barriss and Gree gave up on their tasks too. Instead, they had filled the last hour or so with idle chatter, exchanging stories and trying to ignore the fact that there has been no movement in the woods. 

But now they were approaching the two-hour mark with no word from the others and nerves were running a little high as the sun sank low in the sky. 

“Maybe we should go out and look for them? We at least know where Master Kenobi and Master Unduli were headed and the path they took, we could start heading that way.” Ahsoka suggested, beginning to stride towards the mouth of the cave as she eyed up the trees in front of them with determination.

She didn’t make it far before an olive hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, stopping the padawan in her tracks. “Ahsoka,” Barriss chided as she gently pulled her to the ground, “I am certain they will all be back soon. Their journeys were a bit more involved than ours, it’s going to take a little longer. Please, stop harassing Commander Gree and just sit with me while we wait.”

The Togruta pulled a face as she looked back and forth between the tree line and Barriss's pleading eyes. There was some obvious hesitation in the decision so Barriss quickly added, “Please, Ahsoka. It would make me feel so much better if you were here where I know you’re safe.”

And just like that, the argument was over. Every single time Barriss fixed Ahsoka with that doe-eyed gaze, coupled with just the right words, the padawan turned to putty in her hands. She felt a little bad for using that trick but Barriss really needed Ahsoka to stay put for the time being. If one more person disappeared from her line of sight she might actually lose it. Especially if that person was Ahsoka.

It only took a few seconds for Ahsoka’s resolve to weaken and her shoulders to slump as she nodded her agreement. She scooted a little closer to Barriss, pulling her legs in as she mirrored the older padawan’s posture. There was a moment of peace as Ahsoka tried to get comfortable and Gree breathed a sigh of relief as he finally escaped the girl’s interrogation. 

But the moment passed as quickly as it had started and soon Ahsoka became irritated once more. The padawan started to tear at the small tufts of grass around her knees, pawing at the ground as she asked, “How can you be so calm and patient right now, Barriss?”

The Mirialan had to work hard to stifle a laugh.  _ Patient and calm? _ Barriss would have never assumed she was that good an actress. Though she may be projecting a shaky image of serenity at the moment, she knew that if Ahsoka were a bit more focused on the figure in front of her then she would see all the signs of an impending meltdown. The shakiness of her hands, the beading sweat that she had to keep wiping off her temples, and the way she had to keep grabbing at her stomach in hopes that she wouldn’t hurl its meager contents. 

There was no doubt in Barriss's mind that Gree had clocked all of the signs ten minutes ago, but for her sake had chosen not to mention anything.

Patience and calm were the two things Barriss could use the most right now. If she were a better Jedi she would have found some peace in the Force or something right now, according to her master’s teachings. But Barriss wasn’t even twenty years old yet, she didn’t have that wisdom or those virtues. She was just a scared teenager who could probably use a hug right about now, not that she would ever ask or admit to it.

But this isn’t the time to fall apart, there would be an opportunity for that later when they were back on Coruscant and this wretched planet was nothing but a memory. Now was the time to try being genuinely patient and calm. Not just for Ahsoka, but for herself. 

“I suppose I’ve just had some practice with these kinds of situations,” Barriss offered a tight-lipped smile with the delayed response.

Despite her best efforts to conceal it, the weariness of her voice leaked through in her response. She’d sounded worse but it was still enough to make Ahsoka scoot closer, pressing their legs together as she gazed at the older girl in worry. Barriss offered her friend a more genuine smile, letting her know the gesture was appreciated but left it at that. She didn’t have the time or the energy to talk about her feelings, let alone overanalyze the way her skin tingled where their legs were connected.

“I’m sure that everyone will be back real soon and then we can get working on a plan to get off of this Force forsaken planet.” Gree sounded up from where he was leaning against the opposite side of the cave. His face dropped into a grimace as he added, “They have to be or our chances of escaping are going to start looking real grim.”

“Thank you, Commander Sunshine,” Now it was Ahsoka’s turn to sigh at the soldier. 

On that cheery note, they all fell back into an uneasy silence as everyone digested the very real possibility that things could get a lot worse by the day’s end. 

No one had spoken for several minutes after that comment when a sudden noise sounded from the otherwise muted forest. Something, or perhaps someone, had stepped on a branch just beyond the tree line and by the sound of it, they were still fast approaching. The padawans and the soldier jumped to attention, eyes locking on the woods as they tensed in preparation and hands reaching for their weapons. Whatever was running their way, they would be ready for it. 

Only, the sight that greeted them was no threat. It was exactly what they had been waiting for. 

One agitated looking Mirialan master angrily stomped her way out of the woods, followed closely by her weary-looking human companion. Luminara and Obi-Wan had finally made their way back to the cave, looking no worse for wear. 

Despite her master’s obvious irritation and exhaustion, Barriss let out a sigh of relief as she watched the woman stride into the clearing. The anxious knot that had been sitting in Barriss's stomach for the past couple hours finally began to uncoil as she rose to meet Luminara.

“Master!” Barriss called as she emerged from the cave to greet the woman. “It’s such a relief to see you.”

As soon as her padawan’s gentle voice reached Luminara’s ears, the older woman’s features softened and the anger in her eyes began to fade as she found its source. Frown lines created by frustration eased away, replaced with an easy smile and a warm gaze as she greeted her pupil. “No need to worry, padawan. Our mission was quite uneventful if a bit tiresome.”

“One tends to get exhausted easily when they go running off through the woods while heavily injured rather than take their padawan’s advice and stay behind to rest,” Barriss quietly admonished as she came to her master’s side, offering an arm in support. Worried eyes scanned over the older Jedi as Barriss checked for any new or reopened injuries. “Would you please let me redress your wounds, master?”

After only the shortest moment of hesitation, Luminara took the proffered arm and leaned some of her weight against the padawan. She didn’t care to tell Obi-Wan, but she had spent the last hour of their journey near the point of collapse so the assistance was greatly appreciated. 

“Barriss,” Luminara began as she steered them back into the cave, “Nothing happened. Please don’t worry yourself too much. I just need to rest and I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Her master’s words did little to reassure Barriss but she could be content to let the woman rest a while before pestering her about the dressings again. As she guided her master back into their dwelling Barriss caught sight of a similar exchange happening between Master Kenobi and Ahsoka. Only theirs’ ended with Ahsoka socking the older man in the arm while he tried to apologize for the prolonged absence with a sheepish expression painted on his face.

“Did you discover anything new, General?” Gree’s question came as they entered the cave and Barriss helped ease her master to the floor.

Both generals glanced between each other with a grim look in their eyes. Luminara sighed and shook her head, “Nothing good to report, I’m afraid. When we arrived back at the ships we found that the Pacithhip had come up with the same plan as us and were already tearing the ships apart for anything to salvage.”

Barriss watched as her master explained the situation, taking note of the harsh workings of the woman’s jaw and the way that her fists clenched as she spoke. Whatever they’d seen had been enough to make Luminara visibly angry, which was truly a rare feat. 

“We didn’t stay for much longer after that. There were too many of them to handle discreetly, especially when we’re down a saber.” Obi-Wan looked to Luminara who could only huff in response, the reminder of her loss only adding to her frustration. “It was a long shot anyway, but we’re definitely not going to be able to fly off the planet with either ship.”

“And we’ll need to get word to the council about the supplies for Ryloth as soon as possible,” Ahsoka mentioned. “Before Anakin and I left we requested a supplemental ship be sent ahead, just in case, but it held nowhere near as many supplies as yours did. It’ll last a few rotations but the Twi’leks will need more if they’re to survive through the season.”

There was a lull in the conversation as the new findings sunk in, their mission just got that much more difficult now that they knew for certain they had to find a transport. Barriss had been hoping that somehow Skywalker’s ship had pulled through the missile attack, even though she knew it was naive.

“We had a bit of success on our mission, Generals,” Gree started. He nodded to the padawans, gesturing for them to elaborate on their findings. 

“Oh, yes!” Barriss had almost completely forgotten that their morning had been a successful one. “We found--”

She had to stop short when she caught a glimpse of Ahsoka. The girl looked like she was going to burst if she didn’t talk right now. With a smirk, Barriss waved her on, “Perhaps you would like to tell them, Ahsoka?”

“We found a communication hub!” The padawan exploded, bouncing on her feet in excitement. “There’s an access into their tunnel system not too far from here. Just inside is an office that has a long-range communication device. It’s outdated but I know that I can fix it to be able to reach Coruscant. We could send for help  _ and _ tell them about the supplies for Ryloth.”

Both Jedi masters looked rather stunned to hear that the other mission had been such a success after their failure. Luminara raised an eyebrow in question, “If you found the hub why didn’t you just fix the device and send out a transmission while you were there?”

“As Ahsoka said,” Barriss jumped in, “the tech is outdated and it would need some serious rewiring to be able to transmit over such a distance. Such a task is going to take time and the office is one that appears to be well used. We would need to create a distraction that will buy Ahsoka some time.”

“Did someone say distraction?” The voice of Anakin Skywalker called from somewhere just outside the cave. Everyone paused as they watched him and his men file back into their camp, all muddy and soaked with sweat but grinning from the thrill of their adventure. “Like I mentioned yesterday, they are my specialty.”

Both Mirialan Jedi silently observed as Skywalker’s master and padawan reacted to his entrance. Ahsoka was beaming, her shoulders straightening as she stood tall and a joyful grin spread from ear to ear. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan was bringing a hand to his forehead in mock exasperation but Barriss could see the way the tension released from his shoulders, and his gaze warmed upon seeing his former padawan return. The three of them really were quite the little pack.

“Anakin, you always manage to make quite the entrance.”

“I learned it from watching you, master,” Anakin remarked, clapping the older Jedi on the shoulder as he moved to stand beside his apprentice. Master and padawan shared a quick grin before getting back to business and beginning the rundown. “Buzz, Draa, and I were able to find several ventilation shafts, aside from the one we used yesterday, that could get us back into the tunnel network. The only problem is that security has increased around the vents since our little show. We barely avoided getting spotted. It would be easy enough to get back in but I think we’d be found out before getting anything we needed.”

Barriss nodded along as she listened to Master Skywalker and digested the new information. It seems as though the only success today had been her own, an outcome that she’d been dreading. “So it seems that we’ll have to rely on the communication port as our best shot off of the planet.”   
  


“Communication port?” Anakin questioned.

After Ahsoka quickly briefed him on their findings, Anakin took a second to think before a sort of manic smile and crazed look settled in his eyes. After a couple of missions together, Barriss was beginning to recognize that this expression meant that she was about to be pulled into some crazy plan that would once again put her at high risk of death. 

“I think I have a plan.”

“Do tell,” Luminara drawled. It seemed that her master had also figured out that they were about to be pulled into some cockamamie scheme. 

Once Anakin was sure he had everyone’s full attention he began, “I’m envisioning three teams. Team one: me, Barriss, and Ahsoka. Our mission is to infiltrate the communication tower again and make sure that we have enough time to send out the message while guarding our position with--”

“I have an objection.” Luminara interrupted with a raised hand. “Barriss is without a weapon at the moment and she is injured. I don’t want her being sent headlong into the thick of enemy territory when she doesn’t have a method to defend herself.”

“Master, I’ll be fine,” Barriss reasoned. “You have taught me well enough that I can function without a saber and I’ll have two more Jedi at my side. Besides, you’re hurt even worse than I am. If anything, you should be sitting this one out.”

Her master looked as though she was raring up for a big argument but thankfully Skywalker stepped in before they could get started. “Not to worry, Master Luminara, I have accounted for both of your worries. Barriss will hold onto Ahsoka’s saber while she rewires the network. We will be focused on defending our position while my padawan works on the signal.”

Barriss turned to her friend, checking to see if she was indeed comfortable with the offer that her master had just made on her behalf. She was not surprised to see that Ahsoka was already nodding her agreement and offering her a thumbs up. The gesture brought a smile to Barriss's face as she prompted, “And the other issue?”

“Right,” Anakin turned back to where Luminara was standing, with the clones not too far behind her. “Luminara, Buzz, and Draa will comprise team two. Their directive will be to create chaos at the ventilation shafts. 

“Buzz, Draa,” both soldiers stood at attention as they intently listened to their part of the plan. “You two are armed so you will be causing the most damage. Shoot the guards, blow off the shaft grates, do whatever you can to create some panic as far as possible but stick together.”

The clones turned to each other, grinning with the idea of being able to go to town on this horrid planet. Barriss knew they were both capable of a good amount of destruction in their own rights so she could only imagine the trouble they were going to get into with such a direction.

“And you, master,” Anakin pivoted on his heel to direct his attention to Luminara. “You’re still injured and also without a weapon so while I think it would be best for you to accompany them, I also believe that you should stick to the shadows as much as possible. Use the Force to cause some damage when you can, but otherwise, just buy your men time to do what they need to do.”

The steepled hands pressed against pursed lips made it very clear that Luminara was not in love with this plan. Barriss knew that her master was not a fan of being sidelined, she would much rather be in the thick of things. While Luminara Unduli worked hard to maintain her status as a peacekeeper, she was not one to shy away from any task that required a bit more grit. She thrived on action, so to be pigeonholed as such was not at all what she would want to hear, but it was what needed to be done.

“I think that’s an excellent strategy Master Skywalker,” Barriss responded. Her master shot her a dirty look but Barriss found that she didn’t really care.

“Thanks, Barriss!” Skywalker looked genuinely pleased to hear some positive feedback.

There was a clearing of a throat that caught everyone’s attention as Master Kenobi lazily raised a hand. “And what role are Commander Gree and I to play in this plan of yours?”

A wolfish grin split Anakin’s face as he walked over to his master and clapped the man on the shoulder. “You two get the fun job.”

“I don’t like the sound of this,” Gree muttered as he tossed a sidelong glance at both Bariss and Luminara, looking for some backup.

“Team three will be heading back to the crash site. You two are going to drive those stupid slavers away from our ships, salvage anything you can, and slip away before the Pacithhip can call for reinforcements or follow you back here.”

“Did you not just hear Ahsoka explain that the Pacithhip are already stripping the ships of everything valuable?” Obi-Wan asked in bewilderment. “There will be nothing left by the time we get there tomorrow.”

“Well, we don’t know that  _ everything  _ of value has been taken,” Anakin retorted as he sidled back over to his apprentice. “Plus we need to be prepared for the possibility that team one won’t be successful. Something from those ships could be helpful if we can’t get word back to the temple.”

When Kenobi still didn’t look entirely convinced Ahsoka spoke up. “He’s right, master. We need to have some sort of contingency plan if this all blows up in our faces. At least that way we’re exhausting more of our options before the Pacithhip take everything we’ve got.”

After a long moment spent glancing back and forth between Anakin and his padawan, Obi-Wan conceded, “I suppose I’ve had worse tasks in some of your other plans. What do you say, Commander?”

“Eh,” the corners of Gree’s lips tugged upwards with a smile as he patted his blaster, “I wouldn’t mind some target practice.”

And with that, they had a somewhat solid plan that brought them one step closer to rescue. It wasn’t exactly airtight, if Barriss thought on it for a few minutes she could poke a lot of holes in it, but she was still impressed with Skywalker’s quick thinking. He had a talent for acting under pressure which she greatly admired, not that she would  _ ever _ admit that out loud.

Their discussion was over after a few more questions about the plan and then everyone began winding down for the night. Much like the previous night, they all shared a small meal before beginning to settle in to sleep. 

Last night the padawans had slept near the back of the cave but Barriss refused to do that again. For some reason, everything was always slightly damp back there. So tonight they planted themselves near the lip of the cave where they could fall asleep under the stars. 

Once they cleaned up the scraps from their meal the padawans began clearing away a nice little spot for themselves. It was still just dirt and a bit of grass, but it made Barriss feel better to sweep her hand over the area a few times and find that everything was dry. 

Just as she was about to declare her space suitable for sleeping, Gree and Draa walked by. They were discussing something under their breaths as they moved into the cave. Whatever the topic of conversation was, it made Draa laugh, his eyes crinkling as he gave Gree a playful shove. Barriss couldn’t help but smile as she watched on, it was good to know that even during these dangerous times there were still moments of levity to be found. Despite the constant tragedies and deaths, a man could find the time to laugh. 

A sudden question appeared in Barriss's mind, ruining the peaceful moment. A question that she had never really considered before but would never cease to bother her now that she had thought about it. Unless she got an answer right now, which was why she began picking her way across the cave until she was standing behind Gree.

“Gree? Might I ask you a question?”

“Yes, commander?” The soldier straightened as he turned to face her and Barriss couldn’t help but notice how old he looked right now as the moonlight washed down on his face. 

Physically speaking, Gree was only a few years older than her, but you would never know just to look at him. The man that she was looking at was weighed down by the burdens of life, death, and war. It disheartened Barriss to realize that about the man who had marched by her side through battle after battle. Who had been there with her in some of the most intense moments of her life. Who never complained, even as he lost brothers to this endless war every single day. Barriss wanted to do something to honor that dedication, from him and every one of her men.

“I was just wondering... if you and the men had a funeral ritual?” 

Barriss watched as Gree’s eyes widened ever so slightly, no doubt surprised to hear such a question. Her cheeks darkened as she blushed in shame. While many Jedi showed great compassion and camaraderie for their clones, she was quite certain very few thought to ask about something such as this. She certainly hadn’t up until recently, so focused on her own issues that she couldn’t look up and see the bigger picture.

“We lost so many over the past few weeks, but on this mission particularly, and I want to do something to acknowledge that. I was hoping that if you all had a funeral ritual or some sort of service for them that I might be able to participate. I would like to honor them as the heroes they were. Their lives and their sacrifices mean a great deal to me.”

The commander seemed a bit stunned by her request, no Jedi that he had worked with had made such an inquiry before. He knew that it wasn’t because they didn’t care, they just handled death a bit differently, preferring to jump to the next battle than dwell on a loss. This was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Gree could see that Buzz and Draa were looking on as well, staring at the padawan in silent admiration. All of his men already had a soft spot when it came to their Jedi, but especially for Barriss. To the men, she had become a little sister of sorts throughout the war and Gree was certain this would elevate her to some sort of saint-like status in their eyes.

“We do have a small ceremony that we usually perform in the barracks after a casualty. This one will probably be a bit more elaborate since we lost so many,” Gree explained as Barriss watched him intently. “And it would be an honor to have you attend. It would mean a lot to the men for you to be with us when we send our brothers off.”

The padawan beamed at her commander, pleased to hear that she was being extended such a warm invitation. “Thank you Gree, I’m very appreciative of the offer.” Barriss reached out and gave his arm a quick squeeze to convey her gratitude before retreating to her section of the cave. 

Ahsoka was watching as she returned, blue eyes brimming with curiosity. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing to worry about,” Barriss replied as she plopped down beside her friend. “Just taking a moment to... look at the bigger picture I suppose.”

“Bigger picture? That’s not something we get to think about much.”

Ahsoka seemed to deflate as she spoke, her elbows sliding out from underneath her frame as her body melted into the ground. If Barriss didn’t know better, she would think that the padawan’s words were laced with a trace of apprehension. “Is that how you feel?”

But perhaps Barriss didn’t know any better because Ahsoka hesitated. The young girl, who had always believed so ardently in the Jedi and the path they were walking, faltered. 

“Ahsoka? Is it?”

“Bariss,” the Togruta sighed as she stared up at the stars as if they held an answer to her question. “Honestly, I don’t know how I feel.”

This was a shocking new development. Barriss tried to keep the flabbergasted look off of her face but she almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Never in all their time as friends had Ahsoka deviated from her belief that the war was just and that Jedi involvement was truly a good thing. They had spent so many nights debating over it, so many whispered conversations where Ahsoka had walked Barriss back from the ledge she was frequently teetering on. There had never been a moment where that faith in their Order had wavered, so what had changed?

The murmurs of the forest was the only thing filling the air between them for the moment. Neither padawan knew what to say to the other, the script had been flipped and they were left to fulfill roles neither had prepared for. The believer and the skeptic, both left to flounder.

Eventually, Ahsoka was the first one to find a straw to grab at. “Do you miss the days you spent as Luminara’s padawan before the war started?”

“Where is this coming from?” The change in topic seemed rather abrupt.

“Just answer the question, please?”

“Alright, fine,” Barriss waved off the younger girl’s whine as she thought on her answer. It was an easy thing to think back on her time with her master before the war broke out. Those were some of the happiest days of her life. “I miss them terribly. The time I spent with Master Luminara before the war was full of education and excitement. The pace was less frenzied and the odds of a mistake leading to certain death were much, much lower.”

A smile found its way to her lips as warm memories came rushing back. The morning that Luminara had informed her that she was to be her padawan. Fidgeting under her master’s grip when she finally received her tattoos. The first few days she was learning to fly. A laugh bubbled in her throat as Barriss thought back on that particular experience. She had thought she’d done an excellent job but Luminara had staggered off the speeder, clutching at her stomach in an attempt to keep her lunch down.

“That sounds really nice,” the melancholy response pulled Barriss out of her reverie. Ahsoka had rolled over, blocking her face from view, but she didn’t need to see it to know that there was some turmoil there. 

“What’s wrong, Ahsoka? You’re not acting like yourself.”

“It’s just,” the padawan sighed before rolling over again with a grunt. Before Barriss could find her eyes Ahsoka clapped her hands over her face, covering her eyes in an attempt to make her admission easier. “I don’t know. I’ve just been thinking a lot.”

Ahsoka paused, lips silently working as she tried to find the right words. “When I was on Tatooine with Anakin we were having fun, the most I’ve had in a long time, even with the sand making him grumpy. When we weren’t following leads Anakin was teaching me about geography and culture and politics. We had time to stop in the market and look at the stalls, even buy a few little things to keep for ourselves. There was even enough time for us to do some training together in a natural environment. 

“There was no pressure to defuse a bomb about to blow up a whole city or assist a rebel uprising. It was just me and Anakin, learning and experiencing. And while we were there I just couldn’t stop wondering if that was the kind of experience that I was missing out on because of the war? If that’s what every padawan is missing out on because of the war? And then we got called here.”

Barriss opened her mouth, ready to argue that they hadn’t  _ meant _ to end up here, but Ahsoka just pushed on. “When we got that distress call it felt like the galaxy came crashing down on our trip. That bubble Anakin and I were in popped so quickly and suddenly everything was a fight again. I don’t know, maybe I’m being silly, but it felt so good to be  _ just _ a padawan for a few days.”

The admission hung in the air between them, heavy with the weight of Ahsoka’s words. Barriss was quite certain that underneath her palms, the Togruta’s face was flushed and pinched tight in embarrassment.

“Ahsoka? You know it’s okay to have these thoughts, right?”

The other padawan just shrugged and made a noncommittal noise, still refusing to reveal her face. Barriss sighed and leaned forward, peeling her hands away with a gentle grip. A rather adorable pout was revealed and Barriss couldn’t help but smile as she looked down on her friend. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Ahsoka meekly answered. 

“I’m going to give you my opinion and you’re going to listen to what I have to say, okay? And you’re going to think about it when I’m done and take it to heart.” She received a scoff and a small eye roll for her authoritative instructions but Barriss knew that she had Ahsoka’s full attention.

“It isn’t crazy or silly for you to be upset about an experience that was stolen from you, do you understand?” A terse nod came in response. “You should not be punishing yourself for wishing that things could be different. Everyone wishes that all the time. And it’s okay for you to tell Anakin that you need a break from the front from time to time. Your master cares about you, he wouldn’t want you to burn out. We spend a lot of time shouldering the weight of the galaxy as Jedi but to do that we also have to be able to admit when we’re struggling, yeah?”

“Yeah,” came the tired response. Ahsoka’s arms drooped under Barriss's hands and the padawan released a shaky breath as the distressed tension left her body. Relief shined through in the small smile she offered up, letting Barriss know that she was taking her speech to heart. “Thank you, Barriss.”

“Of course,” Barriss breathed as she stared down at the girl underneath her. After a moment’s hesitation, she realized that it was probably a good time for her to let go of Ahsoka’s hands. Reluctantly, she pulled away, but when she laid down again she made sure to scoot ever so slightly closer to her friend.

“I wonder what Anakin and I would be doing if the war wasn’t happening,” Ahsoka pondered aloud. “I bet that you and Luminara would probably be in a dusty library somewhere, reading ten books a day.”

“Hey! We didn’t  _ only _ visit libraries!” They had actually visited quite a few beautiful libraries before the war but they’d gone to plenty of other places too. Barriss turned to Ahsoka with a grin, her eyes alight with mischief in the moon’s glow. “Besides, I don’t have to wonder where you and Anakin would be. I know exactly what you’d be doing.”

“Oh yeah?” Ahsoka propped herself up on an elbow, leveraging herself so that she could look down on the Mirialan. “And what would that be?”

“I have a rather clear image of you two as some sort of Jedi cowboys, taking on the scourge of the Outer Rim day in and day out.”

“Whoa! Wait a second!” A burst of laughter rang out as the padawan protested. “Why are we getting shunted to the Outer Rim?!”

Barriss waved her hands around, gesturing as though it was obvious. “Let’s face it, Skywalker doesn’t quite have the diplomatic skills for managing peace in the Inner Rim. Plus you two need to work somewhere where brawn matters more than brain.”

“Hey! That is so uncalled for!” Ahsoka’s sides were heaving with laughter at the teasing and the last of the tension from before seemed to dissipate. Barriss quietly sighed in relief, feeling as though the weight of a Wookie had just been removed from her chest. It wasn’t often she got to help Ahsoka like this and she was glad to have stumbled her way through it with some positive results.

As Ahsoka calmed down she glanced to her master one more time, contemplating Barriss's vision, before rolling her eyes back towards the older padawan. And if the Barriss found herself even more entranced as she gazed up into those stunning eyes, who could blame her?

“Sounds like the kind of Jedi they tell legends about. It won’t be long until they turn our story into some cheesy holofilm.” Ahsoka lifted her hand into the air, mimicking a headline, “Knights of the Rim: Dawn of Justice.”

Barriss let out another burst of laughter, covering her mouth to try to stifle the sound. “Oh Force, I can only imagine. I bet they would recast you as a Twi’lek and give Master Skywalker another robotic limb.”

The padawans descended into a fit of giggles, leaning into each other as they tried to catch their breaths.

Once Barriss's laughter began to die down she realized that her soft chuckles were the only ones left as Ahsoka had fallen silent. When she turned her head to peer up at her friend, she found a pair of striking blue eyes settled on her. If Ahsoka’s expression wasn’t so soft, Barriss would have found the intensity of the gaze rather uncomfortable. What she wouldn’t give to know what was going on inside her head right now.

“Thinking hard, are we?” Barriss asked, attempting to divert things to a simpler topic than the one she wished they could discuss.

A shrug came in response, before Ahsoka murmured, “Not really, I can’t concentrate enough for that when I’m around you.”

While Barriss was naturally a quiet soul, it wasn’t often that she was genuinely speechless. This was one of the few occasions that she had ever truly been found without something to say. Thankfully she had the good sense to keep her mouth shut rather than stammer through some half-brained answer. 

Instead of leaving her flailing in the moment, Ahsoka picked up the conversation again. “I hope that people are already telling stories about us. Not in cheesy holofilms, I mean, but more like folk tales. We’ve all passed through so many places and done so many things in the past few years. Surely someone, somewhere, has passed on a story or two. Don’t you think?”

“I don’t know.” Barriss wasn’t sure they were far enough out from any of their battles for legends to develop around them. But part of her hoped that was true. “I mean, I want to say yes. I want to say that we’re changing the shape of the galaxy and because of that our names will live on in amazing histories. Maybe even that Jedi for generations to come will study us as heroes and peacekeepers. As you said, we’ve only been around for a few years and we’ve already done so much throughout the whole galaxy.” 

A smile ghosted across her dark lips as Ahsoka mulled over her adventures as a padawan. There were definitely enough crazy missions and half baked schemes that she’d played a part in that someone  _ has _ to be talking about. Maybe over the music at a bar or across a family dinner table. Who knows?

Then something shifted and her smile dropped a little. “I also can’t help but think about how big the galaxy is, how there are people on every world who are wondering the exact same thing too. Maybe it’s not for us to know if we’ll be remembered like that. Maybe it’s just enough that our stories will be remembered by the people closest to us.”

Bariss tore her eyes away from Ahsoka's face and looked around the makeshift campsite surrounding them. Across the fire pit, her master and Master Kenobi were laying side by side, looking at the dying fire as they quietly murmured to each other. They looked peaceful. Obi-Wan’s shoulders were bouncing with soft laughter and Luminara’s nose was scrunched as she teased the man. Nearby Anakin was conversing with the clones, exchanging war stories in exaggerated manners. Draa and Buzz were reenacting one of their blunders while Gree chimed in to make sure the story wasn’t getting too far fetched. Anakin was nodding along as the men pushed each other back and forth, avidly taking in every detail of their story.

If anyone was going to remember her, she wanted it to be these people. She wanted moments like this to live on in her friend’s minds and for them to be filled with warmth when they thought back on their time together.

“What do you think?” Ahsoka’s question grabbed her attention once more. 

“I think,” Bariss breathed, “that I want to believe that all of this fighting and tragedy will mean something. That one day in the future someone will tell the story of the Clone Wars. I hope they tell the truth about all these events that happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. And when they tell that story I hope that our names will be in it. Even if we’re just the tiniest blip, we’ll have been there. But if that’s not the case, I would be forever honored just to be remembered by everyone here.”

A warm hand slipped into Barriss's, squeezing gently to ground her in the moment. When she looked up Bariss found that Ahsoka was gazing down at her with an expression that she couldn’t quite read. The stars were twinkling behind her head and Barriss couldn’t help but think she’d seen a painting that looked exactly like this in one of those dusty libraries Luminara had taken her to. 

She’d been mystified then and she was mystified now.

Her world felt as though it was shrinking as they stared at each other, hand in hand, the soft din of conversation filling their ears. Everything seemed to fade in this moment as the padawans lost themselves in each other’s eyes. 

“Hey, Snips!” 

The moment was shattered and suddenly every detail of the night around them came flying back at full force. The padawans sprang apart, jumping as though they’d been caught in an intimate moment. And maybe they had been? Barriss didn’t know, she was too flustered to try to parse out what had just happened. 

“Ahsoka!” Anakin called again. “Come help me tell these guys about that time we had to convince a Jawa that my boot was a sacred item.”

“Uh, yeah, yeah, I’m coming!” Ahsoka sat up and pushed herself onto her feet, rising to meet her master but not before catching Barriss's eye one last time. “Thanks again Barriss, for everything.”

The only thing that Barriss could think to do in response was nod, watching a bit breathlessly as Ahsoka took the few short strides to join her master in his story. When she realized that she was staring Barriss tore her gaze away, sinking back to the floor as she fixed her eyes on the stars and tried to calm down. 

It wasn’t long before the excitement of the day caught up with her, causing her eyelids to droop more and more with each passing second. As Barriss drifted off to sleep she couldn’t help but hope that she would dream of beautiful paintings and brilliant blue eyes.

  
  
  


Luminara hadn’t exactly been expecting to get a comfortable night of sleep in their make-shift dwelling but she was surprised to be startled awake in the middle of the night. Groggily rubbing her eyes, she shot into a sitting position and tried to take in her surroundings through a bleary haze. Awareness sluggishly coursed through her as she prepared to have to jump into action.

Except everything was quiet. Well, aside from the cacophonous snores of the various soldiers and Jedi laying around her.

With a resigned shrug, Luminara began to lay down again, chalking the disturbance up to a rather vivid dream. However, just as her head hit the ground again there was another tug at her skirt that wrenched her eyes open once more. Her gaze landed on the culprit immediately and a sleepy smile made its way to her face.

It seemed that throughout the night Obi-Wan had edged closer and closer in his sleep. His hand laid tangled in the skirt of her robes with his fingers loosely clenching the dark material. In the course of his tossing and turning, he must’ve tugged her dressings with him. The sight caused a warm fuzzy feeling to settle in her stomach that wasn’t at all unpleasant, nor unfamiliar.

It was a very Kenobi thing to be protective even in his sleep.

After giving herself an adequate amount of time to enjoy this private moment, Luminara reluctantly started to get her feet. She could see Gree sitting at the lip of the cave to keep watch, just as he had been when she’d first fallen asleep, so it was time for someone to relieve him. The poor soldier could use some shut-eye before tomorrow’s plans.

As gently as possible, Luminara freed her skirts from Obi-Wan’s grasp and tucked his hand against his chest. With light steps she made her way across the cave, trying to keep quiet enough so she wouldn’t disturb anyone’s sleep but loud enough to alert Gree.

“Evening, General. Or perhaps, good morning is in better order.”

“Good morning, Gree,” Luminara chuckled, her voice still husky with sleep. 

“Get a few good hours in?” Gree turned to face her, but not before glancing over his shoulder to where she had been sleeping. When Luminara followed his gaze she found that Obi-Wan’s hand had blindly made its way back to the spot she’d been occupying, searching for something that wasn’t there.

In the dim light of the moon, Luminara couldn’t be entirely sure but she thought she’d seen a smirk on her commander’s face. “I don’t want to hear a word, Commander.”

The clone’s shoulders bounced with silent amusement as he turned to the forest once more. “No idea what you’re talking about, General. I didn’t see a thing.”

It was moments like this in which Luminara was reminded that it was a wonderful thing to have friends. There was a time in her life where she never would have been able to let herself trust this man’s words, even though he’d never done anything to wrong her. An easy, trusting friendship such as theirs was something that Luminara coveted far more than any material riches.

“You should go get some rest, Gree, we have a big day tomorrow. I’ll take the next watch.” Luminara made a shoo-ing motion, swatting his shoulders with her hands until he clambered to his feet. The clone made a big show of stretching out his back and legs, inciting Luminara to roll her eyes and give him an extra shove towards the back of the cave. 

Just as Gree spun on his heel, a bush rustled in the clearing.

Luminara rose to a crouch. Gree reached for his blaster.

Several minutes passed in a tense silence but there was no other movement amidst the trees or in the clearing. They both released a deep exhale in relief. “Must’ve been the wind,” Gree muttered.

In the moments that followed Luminara became quite certain that the Force had it out for her.

A great roar ripped through the clearing as a humongous beast jumped out of the forest. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen, which was hard to say as a Jedi who had traveled through most of the known galaxy. For starters, it was easily seven feet tall just standing on all fours. The scaly beast had a thinner body but it appeared to be covered by a spiked shell that protected any vulnerable areas. Antlers sprouted from its head looking like massive clubs. And its tail was something to behold as well, a thick appendage that appeared to have its own forms of natural armor as well. 

In summary, it was horrifying. And it had its sights locked on them. 

“Everybody up! Up! Get up!” Luminara shouted as Gree began firing on the beast. It was a wasted effort, the blaster bolts were easily deflected by its sturdy shell.

There was no time to check and see what the others were doing as she jumped into action alongside her commander. Luminara dashed out into the clearing, doing her best to draw the beast’s attention one way or another to get Gree a cleaner shot at an exposed area. 

Part of her plan was working. She had the beast’s attention. However, it seemed that Gree’s shots were still doing little to no damage despite the deadly bolts hitting the beast’s neck and head. It appeared as though the bolts were only further antagonizing the creature which left Luminara in a bit of a pickle.

The Jedi vaulted into the air as the angry beast charged towards her, using its large head as leverage to push herself across the clearing. As the creature recovered from bashing its head into the tree she had just been standing in front of, Luminara was relieved to see that the others were joining the fight now.

Anakin sprinted headlong out of the cave, lightsaber raised and eyes set on the exposed joints of the beast. The attack looked promising, the skin appeared to be much softer at the shoulder joints, and immobilizing the creature might be their best approach. However, as Skywalker closed the distance between them, the beast shook off the last of its daze and swung its backside around to meet the Jedi. With an audible  _ oomph,  _ the beast’s armored tail caught Anakin in the chest and sent him flying back towards the cave.

The Mirialan couldn’t help but cringe as she watched Skywalker hit the ground, she was well aware of what kind of damage that impact would leave. The human didn’t get up again. Luminara watched as Ahsoka ran to him, checking his pulse before nodding and drawing her saber. 

Just unconscious. Good.

When Luminara turned her attention back to the clearing she found an all-out battle raging on. The clones had closed in around the creature’s head, firing with intent as they tried to catch any exposed area on its neck. The rest of the Jedi were running and jumping around the clearing, slashing at the beast’s limbs when possible, while also disorienting it and doing their best not to get punctured on any of its spikes. 

The tide seemed to be turning in their favor when the beast let out an ear-piercing howl, wailing in agony from the bolt that had caught a tender spot under its jaw. Draa was pumping his fist in excitement and the Jedi faltered in their movements, trying to discern if the beast was going to continue attacking or run off to lick its wounds.

Unfortunately, it was the former.

With a new rage, the beast swung its head forward with tremendous force. All three of the clones got caught up in its antlers, getting launched through the air and into the dark woods as the creature flung them with all its might. Luminara tried to reach out with the Force and slow their descent as much as possible but the beast’s tail came swinging into her vision and she was forced to duck out of the way, breaking her concentration. The men disappeared into the woods with a shout.

When the tail flew over her head the beast stumbled with the might of the swing. It tumbled closer to the cave where Anakin still lay unconscious on the ground. Before it could target the crumpled Jedi, Ahsoka swooped in and warded it off with a few swings of her lightsaber.

“We have to get it out of the clearing!” The padawan shouted as she jumped out of the way of the antlers. “It’s too close to Anakin and it might draw the Pacithhip to our hideout!”

“Draw it into the forest!” Obi-Wan shouted from the opposite side of the clearing. “It’s too open here, the crowded trees will make it harder for it to attack.”

The sound of his voice caught the beast’s attention. It whipped towards the source, refocusing on the side of the clearing that Barriss and Obi-Wan had been ushered into. With an enraged snarl, it charged across the clearing with an odd burst of speed for something so big. Obi-Wan dove to the side just in time to avoid getting trampled.

As the beast picked itself back up from the unsuccessful charge, the Jedi moved around the clearing to convene in the center. 

“I think we’re going to have to split up,” Luminara said as soon as they were all together. 

“Why?!” Obi-Wan protested. His bulging eyes were looking upon her as though she was mad but Luminara held her ground. She knew this was their best option.

“The beast is too strong for us to overwhelm, especially when we’re down four men. We have to draw it into the woods and lead it away from the campsite, perhaps towards a Pacithhip security force, but just away from here.”

Barriss glanced over her shoulder at the beast, worrying her lip as she watched its tail smash a tree trunk in its rage. “Leading it away isn’t going to solve anything, it will still be out there. We can’t be on the run from this beast and the Pacithhip at the same time.”

“Barriss, look at that creature. We only have two lightsabers between the four of us and none of us is in the best shape to go toe to toe with it. We will lead the beast away, for now. Confuse it or temporarily trap it somewhere in the woods and then come back here to regroup. It’s the best we can do right now.”

No one looked entirely convinced that this was a good plan. Luminara knew it wasn’t but it was all they had and as she glanced at the other Jedi she knew that they were having this grim realization as well. 

Obi-Wan sighed and ignited his saber once more, turning back to face the beast. “On my count, pick a direction and run.”

The beast locked eyes on the glowing blue of the lightsaber, eyeing its wielder and his companions with a hunger. 

“Three.”

Luminara and the padawans tensed, shifting to stand on their toes as they prepared to take off. 

“Two.”

A ferocious roar shook them all to the bone as the creature reared on its hind legs. The ground jumped beneath their feet as its weigh came crashing back down. 

“One.”

When the beast took off so did the Jedi. Barriss and Obi-Wan bolted to the right side of the clearing while Ahsoka and Luminara made for the left. Before the padawan could run off on her own, Luminara clutched her arm and pulled Ahsoka along until they matched each other stride for stride. She was not about to abandon this girl to take care of a beast by herself. 

Unfortunately for them, the beast had chosen to follow their path through the woods. Although, Luminara was a little relieved, even if she barely had time to process the thought. If this creature had chased down Barriss and Obi-Wan, the two most important people in her life, she might have had an aneurysm. 

This left her and Ahsoka in a difficult situation but she had confidence in their abilities. They were both fighters and had made a great team many times before, they could get themselves out of this in one piece. 

They kept up a quick pace, sprinting through the trees, and taking full advantage of the fact that their slender bodies allowed them to slip through the dense woods. 

At first, Luminara thought their strategy was working, the pounding strides of the beast sounded far away and it howled in frustration at its difficulty in pursuing. But then a horrible crash sounded from behind them. She didn’t need to turn around to know that the beast had decided on the path of least resistance, choosing to barrel through the trees with brute force rather than pick its way through the foliage. 

“We’re going to need a plan!”

“I have an idea!” Ahsoka scanned the trees for a moment before setting them on a new path. She grabbed Luminara’s arm and pulled her towards whatever destination she had in mind. “Hey! You big ugly animal! Over here! Come get us!”

The beast roared behind them, much closer than Luminara had originally thought, and changed direction with them. “Ahsoka, I really hope you know what we’re doing! It’s going to catch up eventually!”

“Just trust me. And when I say jump, jump!”

If she’d had any worries about the plan before, they had just increased tenfold. But seeing as the padawan was the only one with a concrete idea, Luminara just kept her mouth shut and followed along.

Just as they had when they were fleeing the Pacithhip, Luminara and Ahsoka ran with everything they had. They sprinted as one, hand in hand as they pulled each other over tree roots and under hanging branches. Neither worried about falling behind or stumbling, for the other’s presence was the force that kept them moving with sure feet. 

The beast kept a close pace, never too far despite the number of trees it had to bodily slam through. If she’d the time to think about it, Luminara might have been a little sad for the devastation they were leading through the beautiful woods. And the clear path they were leaving the Pacithhip to find them. 

“We’re getting close now!” A good thing considering Luminara could practically feel the beast’s hot breath on her neck. “When we jump, reach for a branch and swing into the trees!”

Before Luminara had a chance to process the padawan’s instructions, Ahsoka shouted, “JUMP!”

With great force and agility, both Jedi launched themselves into the air, blindly grasping until their hands found purchase on a branch. Using all of her momentum, Luminara swung herself up and around the branch with a grunt, landing with her legs straddling the bark. A hurried glance to her right saw that Ahsoka had followed suit about a few feet below. 

Under their dangling feet, the beast charged blindly ahead, unaware that its prey had already jumped to safety. It went barreling through the bushes below them, disappearing throughout the greenery with a howl. Luminara listened intently, waiting for the beast to turn back on them, but instead, the howl seemed to be... descending away from them? Then it cut off abruptly and the woods fell into silence once more. 

She cast a confused glance down to the panting padawan below, “Where did it go?”

“Canyon. Behind the bush,” Ahsoka pointed in the direction of the shrubs as she gulped down a breath. “There’s a huge drop off with a river at the bottom. We almost lost Gree to it this morning.”

“Well done, Ahsoka.” She reached over and patted the girl on the shoulder as they both fought for control of their breathing. Between Luminra’s injuries and Ahsoka’s exhaustion, they made a bit of a rough pair. “It was a clever plan and your quick thinking saved our lives. I’m indebted to you, again.”

Luminara didn’t need much light to see the way that Ahsoka beamed at the praise. “If you tell Anakin that I took that thing down with my own two hands when he wakes up I’ll consider the debt paid.”

“Deal.” Luminara chuckled as she slumped back against the tree stump. Ahsoka followed suit. They both took a moment to recuperate, letting their feet dangle and their sides heave before they had to jump down and make the trek back to the cave. 

A long moment passed in silence before a rustling in the bushes caused both of them to lean forward, on high alert after what the last rustling bush had produced. 

A familiar voice met Luminara’s ears. “I don’t like this Master Kenobi, I think we’re getting close to the ravine that Ahsoka and I found today.”

“I don’t like it either Barriss, but the beast’s trail clearly leads this way so they must be around here somewhere.”

The Jedi burst into view below them, jogging by underneath their feet before either of them could call out to their friends. Ahsoka looked up to Luminara who signaled for them to go ahead and drop back to the ground. 

“The tracks stop here.” Obi-Wan’s voice sounded rather grave. 

“They couldn’t have— Ahsoka knew this was here, she wouldn’t have led them here and let them fall. They can’t be down there.” Her voice didn’t break but Luminara could hear the anxiety building in Barriss's words. 

Both Luminara and Ahsoka were making noise as they approached their friends, making their presence known, but neither Jedi paid attention. They were too wrapped up in the possibility that their friends were dead to notice them standing only five feet behind them. 

“We’ll have to find a way down somehow—” As Obi-Wan continued to speak Ahsoka slowly approached his side until she stood just behind the man, nodding along as she listened to his rambling. 

After throwing a smirk at Luminara, Ahsoka interrupted, “Well you could just jump down there if you’re so certain that I went over.”

Barriss and Obi-Wan both startled so hard that Luminara worried they would fall over the cliff themselves. They stared at Ahsoka with wide eyes before they recovered enough to start scolding her. 

“This was by far one of the stupidest—”

“I thought Anakin was the one who was supposed to have the bad plans between—”

“You nearly scared me to death—”

“Don’t you ever do that again because I’ll—”

“This certainly is no way to praise the Jedi who just saved all of your lives.”

The sound of Luminara’s voice stopped both Jedi in their tracks. They whipped away from the defensive Togruta to balk at the Mirialan master staring them down with stern eyes and hands disapprovingly crossed over her chest. Behind them, Ahsoka clapped a hand to her mouth to suppress a giggle at their reaction. 

“Oh thank the Force.” Barriss wheezed before rushing forward and pulling her master into a quick embrace. Luminara’s eyes widened at the display but she quickly returned the contact. When Barriss pulled away she pressed a palm to her forehead as she muttered, “The stress of this damn mission is going to give me a heart attack.”

One glance at her padawan was enough to make Luminara believe her. She slung an arm around Barriss's shoulders once more, pulling her close to reassure her that she was okay. 

When she looked up Luminara found Obi-Wan giving Ahsoka an examination. The padawan feigned annoyance as he gripped her shoulders and checked her from head to toe, but Luminara could see the way her eyes softened as she looked at the caring man. Kenobi had that endearing effect on people. 

“Well let’s make our way back to camp, I’m sure that Anskin and the men could use some help.” Luminara gave her padawan a nudge, pushing her towards Ahsoka. The girls huddled together as they began the walk back to camp, needing to be close after the day they’d had. Luminara knew the feeling. 

She drifted over to Obi-Wan and they set off at a much slower pace, creating some distance between themselves and their students. Once they were too far to hear Obi-Wan turned to her, “Are you okay?”

“I’m perfectly fine. I was in good hands with Ahsoka.”

“You two really had us scared. The nervous energy between me and Barriss could have powered a whole star destroyer.” Just like with Barriss, it was easy to see the way the night had taxed Obi-Wan. The bags under his eyes had somehow darkened over the last hour and his hair was sticking out in some odd places that he must’ve been messing with. 

Luminara grabbed his hand, entwining their fingers in a moment of courage. “I’m sorry that you were so worried, but I really am okay. I mean, I’m exhausted and I don’t think I’ll ever catch my breath again, but nothing happened.”

The hand she held curled securely around hers. “When Barriss and I were looking over that cliff...” The Jedi trailed off, unsure of his next words. He glanced toward the starry sky and then towards the padawans and then back at the sky before mumbling something to himself. With one last glance towards the padawans, Obi-Wan sidestepped deeper into the woods, tugging Luminara along after him. 

They passed through a few trees until they could no longer see the padawans. “Obi, we’re going to lose the girls.”

“They know their way back to camp. I have something important I need to tell you.” Obi-Wan’s serious tone drew Luminara’s eyes back to his face. She could see the anxiety in his expression again, but also something that looked a lot like determination. 

Luminara had a feeling she knew where this was going. 

“When Barriss and I were looking over that cliff I thought you had died. If Ahsoka hadn’t spoken up when she did I think I would have jumped down that ravine, just to be sure you weren’t down there. I’ve never been so scared in my whole life.”

The admission broke her heart. Luminara stepped closer to him, bringing her free hand up to rest on his chest. “Obi, I never meant to—”

“No, I need to get this out Luminara. When I was looking down that cliff I couldn’t help thinking that I was the galaxy’s biggest idiot. I’ve spent almost my entire life with you and for so many years alive been ignoring feelings and distancing myself from you. From us.”

Their definitions of ‘distance’ must be very different, Luminara thought, as she reflected on the past few years. But she kept her mouth shut to let him finish. 

“I don’t want to ignore my feelings anymore, Luminara, and I don’t want there to be any distance between us. I want you. And I hope this doesn’t scare you but after everything that’s happened in the past few days, I need to say it. I’m in love with you, Luminara. And I have been for quite some time now.”

Luminara’s suspicions about this conversation did not prepare her for the wave of emotions that threatened to sweep her away. She couldn’t even begin to name everything in the tidal wave flooding through her chest. Relief. Passion. Joy. Surprise. Elation. Love. 

She knew that words would fail her right now so Luminara made up for it with action. She surged forward, using her grip on his robes to pull Obi-Wan infinitely closer, and brought her lips to his. 

The kiss wasn’t perfect, their teeth clicked in her haste and Obi-Wan squeezed her hand a bit too hard in his surprise, but it was everything Luminara needed it to be. Fireworks exploded her behind closed eyes and there was an almost overwhelming amount of euphoric energy pulsing through the Force. 

When they both came up for air, Obi-Wan leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers. Their breaths mingled between them and both Jedi were grinning like school children. “So I guess the feeling is mutual?”

Luminara pulled her head away, throwing it back as she laughed at the man. He took the opportunity to wrap both arms around her waist, pulling her so that they were flush against each other, but in the most innocent of ways. Luminara knew that all he wanted was just to be as close to her as possible. While today’s events had galvanized him, they had also genuinely scared him and he needed the reassurance. 

“Yes, Obi. The feeling is very much mutual.” She pressed a quick peck to his lips once more. “I never imagined we would actually have this.”

“Neither did I.” Obi-Wan frowned as something occurred to him and his brow creased. Now that she had the option, Luminara wanted to kiss the stress lines away. “I don’t know where we’re going to go from here Luminara, it’s going to be complicated.”

“We’ll figure it out.” It was extremely un-Luminara to be so carefree, especially when it came to the Jedi council. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow in question. “I’m happy right now, Obi. I don’t get many opportunities to be happy these days and I know you don’t either. I’m willing to free fall for a bit if it means that I get to be with you, we can figure out all the details later.”

“Hm, I like this carefree Nara. Where has she been hiding?” Obi-Wan stroked a thumb along her sides as he teased and Luminara felt herself melting at the contact. 

“Don’t get used to her. I’m lovestruck and speaking from my heart and all these other mushy feelings. Once my brain starts working properly again we’re going to revisit the whole ‘free-falling’ idea.”

“Oh, I have no doubts that you’ll come up with the perfect set of rules for that. But right now there’s something I need to do, it’s extremely important and time-sensitive.” 

Luminara’s nose scrunched in question. “What’s that?”

“This.” Obi-Wan brought one hand up to her neck to cup it before pulling her into a kiss once more. The hand he left at her hip flexed, his fingers gently pressing into her with enough pressure to pull a breathy gasp from her. She had a feeling that stolen moments like this were going to quickly become the only thing she looked forward to.

When they pulled apart Luminara felt a tired grin spread across her face as she finally voiced the words that had been rolling around in her head for years. “I have been waiting for a very long time to say this. I love you, Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

  
  
  


It took the padawans a few minutes to realize that their masters were no longer behind them. 

Ahsoka spun in a panic, eyes hurriedly searching the dark landscape. “Do you think something grabbed them? We didn’t even hear anything!”

Before Barriss had the chance to even think about worrying, a warm sensation brushed against her in the Force. She didn’t need to reach out very far to know that it was her master’s Force signature and it was pulsing with a glowing energy, unlike anything she’d ever felt.

“They’re alright, Ahsoka.” Barriss retreated from the exhilarating sensation with a content sigh, giving her master some privacy. “In fact, I think they’re being incredibly brave right now.”

“And how, exactly, do you know that?” Ahsoka retorted as she parted a bush with her hands, squinting at the shrub as though it was somehow a suspect in the disappearance of their mentors. 

“Ahsoka,” Barriss sidled over and grabbed the girl’s hand, weaving their fingers together as she pulled her away from the bush. “Just trust me, they’re more than okay. Let’s get back to camp, they’ll be along soon.”

The other padawan stared at her in confusion for a moment, hand flexing nervously in her grasp as though she wanted to pull Barriss back into the woods to look for them. It took a moment for Ahsoka to realize what Barriss had, but when she did her face slackened into a sly grin. “Those sneaky Jedi. Alright, let’s go. I don’t need to see that.”

“What? You don’t think it’s sweet?” Barriss tugged the padawan closer, walking arm in arm as they set out for camp again.

Ahsoka snorted, “Barriss that man is basically my father. I do not need to think about him making out with people. Even if it’s Luminara.”

“Well, I think it’s romantic,” Barriss commented as she glanced up at the moonlit sky, visible through the trees in the wake of the beast’s devastation. 

If Barriss hadn’t been looking at the starry sky she would’ve seen the way that Ahsoka was gazing at her now, eyes fixed on the girl bathed in the soft glow of the planet’s moon. The lingering haze of elation that was emanating from their masters was making her mind fuzzy and was painting the world in a warmer hue. 

“Yeah, maybe it is romantic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't promise you all when this next chapter will come, I'm dealing with a lot right now, but know that it will come! I 100% promise this story will get finished in the near future.
> 
> As always, I love to hear what y'all thought so let me know!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is the day. The rescue mission that they have thrown together is underway. Will things work out for our favorite clones and Jedi?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quicker update than last time yay!!
> 
> but for real, I know my writing has been sporadic so thank you to those of you guys who have been sticking around for this story, it means the world to me. and to my new readers, hello and greetings!
> 
> this is my longest chapter to date so I hope it has some content that you can enjoy, happy reading!

The last few hours before dawn had been filled with restlessness and an air of unease. Everyone was left a bit frazzled after the beast’s attack. The older Jedi and Gree had spent quite a bit of time after they’d regrouped huddled together at the back of the cave discussing the possibility that the Pacithhip would trace the trail of destruction from the fight back to them. Barriss and the others had spent that time sitting just outside the cave’s maw, pretending that they weren’t eavesdropping and trying not to fall asleep. 

Buzz was the only one to succumb, falling asleep sitting up after only five minutes, and his soft snores filled the early morning air. 

Once the ‘adults’ were done talking they were summoned back into the cave to try to get some shut-eye before the day truly began. The padawans and soldiers had quietly filed in, happy to have the chance to get some actual rest before setting out on their missions. At least, that had been the hope. Barriss had been so chock full of nerves that her body refused to give in to sleep again and she had spent the last two hours before dawn desperately wishing that Buzz’s whistling snores were her own. 

The first rays of light upon the horizon were a true blessing. As soon as the sun began to rise in the valley everyone was up and moving. Well,  _ everyone else _ was moving. They all had weapons to check and bags to prepare but Barriss didn’t have anything to her name at the moment. She longed for her lightsaber, the familiar weight in her hand always grounded her in times of stress. Now her precious companion was probably being used as a trophy for the king. It sickened her to think that her saber might even be on display somewhere within those damn tunnels. 

Since Barriss had nothing to do she just pressed herself up against the cave wall and watched the flurry of action in front of her. Everyone was so bleary-eyed and honed in on their separate preparations they barely noticed anything around them. Barriss, on the other hand, had time to observe everything, which was how it didn’t slip her notice when her master grabbed Kenobi by his robe and silently led him outside. 

Luminara probably wanted to say some private good-byes before heading off to carry out their separate missions so Barriss pretended that she hadn’t seen anything, affording her master as much privacy as possible. 

Privacy that was quickly invaded when Ahsoka dropped down to crouch beside her and whisper in her ear, “Did you see what I just saw?”

It took everything Barriss had not to squirm when the heat of Ahsoka’s breath ghosted the shell of her ear. “It would have been hard not to. They’re not exactly subtle. They’re going to have to work on that if they plan to keep this up.”

The other padawan chuckled, glancing at the spot her grandmaster had disappeared to before casting Barriss a sly grin, “I think we’re going to be spending a lot of time together in the future running interference for these lovebirds.”

That didn’t sound too bad, at least it meant that she would be spending time with Ahsoka. At least, when she wasn’t having a stress aneurysm because her master was as stealthy as a youngling sneaking into the kitchens for seconds. 

“Best to let them have their moment in private for now,” Barriss responded. “We wouldn’t want anyone walking out there and— Oh no.”

Of course, she’d just had to mention the possibility of someone finding them right now. 

Before she could even finish her thought, Skywalker was getting up from where he’d been conversing with Gree and striding towards the mouth of the cave. With a purpose, it seemed. One which she assumed was to speak to Obi-Wan.

“What’s ‘oh no’?” Ahsoka’s head whipped around, one of her montrals clipping Barriss’ shoulder on the way. Her wide eyes bulged when she saw the problem and she whisper-yelled, “Oh no! That’s the worst thing that could happen right now!”

Anakin was probably headed out there with the most benign intention, just wanting to double-check part of the plan or something to that effect. He had no clue what he was about to walk into and Barriss was mortified by the thought of what came next. She had a feeling that the young Jedi would only tease his master about this, he might even congratulate him, given that it was Anakin they were talking about. But Barriss knew that Luminara would combust on the spot if they were caught.

“Do something!” Barriss hissed, shoving Ahsoka towards her master.

Ahsoka stumbled to her feet, shooting Barriss a dirty look over her shoulder before going to deal with the situation. “Master!” She called, flagging him down with a raised hand. “I, uh, have a question for you?”

“You do?” Anakin paused mid-stride, pivoting to face his padawan. Barriss prayed to anything that would listen that their masters would wrap it up soon. “What about?”

“What about? Well... it’s about... something that Barriss and I were discussing last night. Yep.” Ahsoka’s hands rose to rest on her hips and she looked like she already regretted what she was about to say. “Do you... think that you and I would make good cowboys? Specifically, in the outer rim?”

Behind her, Bariss slapped a palm to her forehead. Ahsoka could have said literally anything and that was what she landed on? For such a ‘promising young Jedi’, the Togruta sure had her fair share of dim-witted moments.

“Cowboys?” Anakin glanced between the two padawans, prompting Barriss to fix her face into a tight-lipped smile and nod along emphatically. “Uh... I don’t see why not. In another life, sure. But maybe we can talk about that later since we should be preparing for the mission that could save our lives right now.”

He turned to walk out of the cave, but there was still no sign of the other Jedi. They had to keep stalling. 

Barriss bounced to her feet, trying to give their masters just a little bit longer. “Of course, Master Skywalker. You are absolutely right, we should be preparing for this mission. I for one, have complete faith in the plan that you’ve come up with. It really was some great on the spot thinking.”

“Oh,” Anakin looked as though he thought he was being duped. “Really?”

“Of course! When it came down to it, you made some very decisive choices and effectively used the troops and equipment you had on hand. In fact, I admire your strategic capability. I only hope that someday I can think on my feet in such a manner and remain calm under that kind of pressure.”

Hook, line, and sinker. 

Anakin turned his full attention to the padawans once more, clearly excited to hear that, for once, someone truly admired a plan that he had pulled out of thin air. Barriss was only partially lying, so she didn’t feel too bad. The plan could have been better, there were so many things that could go wrong, but it was still impressive that he had put it together so quickly.

As Anakin went off on a tangent about how ‘knowing your team’s strengths’ lead to the strongest plans, Luminara slipped back into the cave. Skywalker’s yammering provided her the perfect opportunity to quietly slide past him while also doing her best to avoid her padawan’s scrutinizing gaze. 

Except Barriss didn’t need to look at the woman head on to see that her headdress was most definitely crooked.

If this was to continue, Barriss needed to have a serious conversation with Luminara about discretion. She shuddered at the thought of that sit-down. 

As Luminara slunk to the back of the cave, Obi-Wan came striding in. Nothing seemed outwardly different about him but the man was certainly walking with more of a spring in his step than when Barriss had seen him last. 

When Anakin realized that his master had returned he cut his speech short, promising to give Barriss a crash course in his teaching method sometime. She offered him a placating smile, nodding along even though that was the last thing she wanted. Barriss was fond of Skywalker but she’d seen how he and Ahsoka operate on the daily and a lesson with him might end with her having a heart attack.

“Hey, that was pretty good,” Ahsoka murmured, nudging her side with a bony elbow.

Barriss gave her arm a quick pinch in response, laughing as she side-eyed Anakin. “Your master is... very easy to read. But, Ahsoka, cowboys? Really?”

“It’s hard to lie to him like that! You try lying to Luminara and see what you come up with!”

A retort was on the tip of Barriss’s tongue when Kenobi’s raised voice caught her attention. 

“Luminara? Gree?” He called to the back of the cave. “Anakin and I were just discussing our lack of a rendezvous point for the end of the day. After last night the cave is all but blown and we can’t risk leading the Pacithhip back to a vulnerable location and make ourselves targets. Did you see any viable locations before you were shot down?”

All three clones glanced between each other before offering a synchronous shake of their heads. Luminara shrugged apologetically, “I was a bit too preoccupied getting a small concussion to notice much of anything.”

The cave grew quiet as everyone tried to think of their options. Without a rendezvous, somewhere to send a rescue ship and to reconvene at the end of the mission, the whole journey was pointless. They would have no way to find each other. An adage from Master Fisto came to Barriss as she pondered over the latest predicament in their never-ending series of misfortunes. As the Nautolan master would say, they were up a creek with no paddle in sight.

Up a creek... 

An image stirred in Barriss’s mind as she thought back on the crash. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine the scenery below the ship’s damaged hull. There had been mountains scattered everywhere, old and crumbling. A never-ending valley stuck between. The forest that seemed to sprawl endlessly, trees covering every surface. 

Except for one.

“I know where we can go.” 

All eyes turned to Barriss as she elaborated on the scene that she faintly remembered, using her hands to illustrate the image in her head. “Right before we were hit with the first missile I noticed a small river running through the woods. It was the only thing that stood out amongst the trees and it let out into a lake that sits below a mountain.  _ If _ I remember correctly that mountain happens to sit directly opposite the mountain we emerged from the other day when we used the vents.

“The trees completely encircle the water so we would still have cover and it’s identifiable as one of the only unique features in the area. We could easily direct a rescue ship to it if we reach the council.”

“ _ When _ we reach the council.” 

Barriss glanced over her shoulder to find Ahsoka offering her a thumbs-up in encouragement. She rolled her eyes, but mentally she was adding ‘optimistic in dire circumstances’ to the list of reasons that Ahsoka was a good person to have in her life. That list was starting to get rather extensive.

“Then it’s decided.” Anakin released a puff of air, glad to have the plan finalized and concrete. Now it was time to set to work. He turned to address the group, “Alright, you all know what you need to do today. I expect to see all of your faces at the lake by sundown. Good luck and may the Force be with you.”

Something about Anakin’s words sent a chill crawling down Barriss’s spine. It was almost as though the Force itself were reaching out to her, reminding Barriss that it hadn’t favored them ever since they entered the atmosphere of Shimia. She didn’t have complete faith that it would side with them today either. 

Despite the morbid feeling it gave her, Barriss echoed the farewell with the others.

Once that was done, they all turned to leave the cave they’d briefly called home for the last time when Barriss felt a tug pulling her back into its quiet shadows. A quick turn revealed Luminara as the culprit. “Master? Is something wrong?”

After years of practice, it had become second nature for Barriss to read her master’s expression and decipher the emotions lurking there. It was always Luminara’s eyes that gave her away. Right now Barriss found anxiety and apprehension bouncing around those cobalt irises. Luminara was worried for her apprentice. “I just wanted a quick moment with you before we set out.”

“I’m glad to have this moment, master,” Barriss offered the older woman a gentle smile, trying to put her nerves at ease. “We’re never usually with this many people for so long.”

Luminara scoffed, “I know. I’m honestly happy to be leaving this cave, it was starting to get a little crowded in here. I thought I might have to banish Kenobi and Skywalker to sleep outside.”

Anything that Barriss wanted to say about that comment had to be bitten back, now was not the time for any snark about Kenobi. They would have time for that later. Barriss hoped. 

Barriss knew.

The hand that was still gripping Barriss’ sleeve tightened reflexively as Luminara spoke again, “Barriss, you must promise me that you will look after yourself today. It worries me greatly to send you off without any sort of weapon.”

“I could say the same to you, master. You’re in worse condition than I am right now and still without a weapon.”

Luminara gave her a pointed look, that patented ‘do not talk back to your master’ glare and Barriss snapped her mouth shut. “Just... tell me that you’ll be careful. And then do your best to meet me at the lake.”

“I’ll be there.” Barriss met her master’s gaze with resolute determination. She would make it to the lake. As would Luminara and the rest of their friends. The council would come for them and they would all return to Coruscant for some much-needed rest. Then they could put this whole nightmare to rest, once and for all.

The hand still attached to her sleeve tightened again and for a moment Barriss thought Luminara would pull her into a hug. For a moment Barriss thought she would let her, even with the others standing so near. But then the grip was gone and the moment passed. These instances could be hard for her master, trying to find the line between compassion and attachment. 

But Barriss didn’t need a hug to know that Luminara cared. 

Master and apprentice made their way out of the cave and back into the early morning light. As she drifted towards her team, Barriss managed to catch Gree’s eye and she offered a nod to the man in lieu of goodbye. The commander reciprocated the gesture, adding a playful wink at the end before turning back to his discussion with Kenobi. 

When Barriss reached the far side of the clearing where her team was waiting, Ahsoka turned from her conversation with Anakin to offer her an eager grin. “Ready to finally get the hell off this planet?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

And with that, they were off. Ahsoka led the way, darting through the trees at a quick, but manageable, pace. Barriss and Anakin only trailed behind by a few feet, hot on the padawan’s heels as she took them down the familiar path. They copied each other step for step as they dashed across the landscape, as comfortable in the eerie morning mist as any native creatures might be. 

As they traveled, Barris noted that the destruction from the night before looked far worse in the daylight. Even if they hadn’t planned their mission for today, they would have been forced to leave the cave anyway, the beast left a trail leading straight back to them that even the most inexperienced tracker could have followed. 

They carried on through the woods for a bit longer, flying through the thicket as they closed in on their destination. The path narrowed as they neared the mountain entrance and Ahsoka brought their pace down to a jog, allowing them to move more stealthily as they edged closer to the compound. The Jedi slowed to a crawl as they crept through the brush, trying to ensure they wouldn’t be seen upon approach. 

Once they reached a bush that was near the entrance and big enough to accommodate the three of them, they came to a halt. 

“Now what?” Ahsoka directed the question to her master.

Anakin, who was currently laying on his stomach between the two padawans, answered, “Now we wait. We have to give Luminara’s team a little time to create the distraction. Chaos takes time.”

“Oh, I’m sure it won’t be much longer now,” Barriss replied with a smirk, thinking about the amount of mischief that crew could get into on any given day, let alone when they were explicitly told to go wild.

Both Anakin and Ahsoka seemed amused by her response as they settled in to wait. As they lay side by side, Barriss became rather acutely aware of the nervous energy that was bouncing between the three of them. She could practically feel it pinging around her head, but no one seemed willing to broach that particular topic. Fine by her.

After a few minutes of this tense stand-by, Anakin got fed up with the lack of action. He pushed himself up into a crouch and announced that he was going to scout the area out. He quickly slipped away, leaving the girls by themselves with an unknown amount of time to kill.

After a second of hesitation, Barriss glanced over to check on what Ahsoka was doing and maybe ask how she was feeling. With Anakin gone, Barriss now realized that the majority of that nervous energy she’d sensed was radiating off of Ahsoka in waves. What she discovered was the Togruta staring steadfastly ahead of them, her gaze fixed on the door they would soon be breaching. Perhaps Ahsoka didn’t want to talk right now. She was a little disappointed but Barriss wasn’t going to pry so she followed the other girl’s lead, focusing her energy on their task. 

A few minutes dragged by like this until, “Barriss?”

Something about the timidity in Ahsoka’s voice caused goosebumps to form on Barriss’ arms and the hair on the back of her neck to rise. And it was for that reason that she refused to tear her eyes away from the door as she answered. “Ahsoka?”

A pregnant pause filled the air between them before Ahsoka found her voice again. 

“What happened last night was kind of crazy wasn’t it?”

A nervous chuckle escaped Barriss’ lips, “What? You mean getting attacked by a ten-foot-tall beast isn’t your definition of a normal night? Although, I must admit the part where I thought you and Luminara had fallen off a cliff added some excitement to the whole ordeal.”

“No, that’s not... well yeah, that part was kind of crazy, actually. But that wasn’t what I was talking about.”

Ahsoka was getting flustered, Barriss could hear it in her voice, so she took some small measure of pity on her friend. Barriss finally tore her eyes away from the door and turned her full attention to the Jedi. 

Bad call. She should’ve just kept her eyes on the door. 

At some point between Anakin leaving and now, Ahsoka had scooted closer to her side. Or maybe Barriss had been the one who had shuffled closer? Either way, there was practically no space between them anymore. Barriss could feel Ahsoka’s warm breath hitting her cheek and her side felt like it was on fire in all the places where they almost touched. The younger padawan’s eyes were wide and seeking as she peered at Barriss, though what she was looking for was unclear.

“What were you talking about, Ahsoka?”

Barriss watched Ahsoka’s throat bob as she tried to find the right words. “The crazy part was what came next. Where, uh, two particular Jedi were involved.”

“Yes, that was... a rather shocking turn of events.”

“I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t sleep after we got back to the cave. What we accidentally discovered had me up the rest of the night. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.” Her hands flew as she spoke, emphasizing each word as they tumbled from her mouth. One of her hands came down to land on Barriss’ bicep, gripping tight as if the action itself could translate exactly what she was thinking. 

She sincerely hoped that Ahsoka hadn’t felt the way the muscle had jumped under her touch.

“You couldn’t stop thinking about it? I thought you said you never wanted to even imagine Obi-Wan kissing anyone,” Barriss attempted to joke. The tension between them was almost palpable and she needed an escape before she did something stupid. 

However, Ahsoka was not going to deviate from this path. She needed to speak her mind. The hand around her arm lightly squeezed again as she pressed on, “I don’t know Barriss, they just got me thinking about... kind of, everything, I guess. I’ve spent a lot of time wondering about something and I think they might have helped me make up my mind last night.

“Barriss, I need to tell you something. I—”

“Are you guys ready?” Anakin’s head emerged from the bush, pushing into the space between them. The padawans sprung apart in alarm, startled by his sudden appearance. 

“Force, Anakin!” Ahsoka hissed as she clutched at her chest. She fixed her master with a glare and reached out to push his head back through the leaves. “Give a girl some warning next time.”

When Anakin popped up above the bush again he had that kind of shit-eating grin smeared across his face that screamed ‘teenage antics’ to Barriss. She just rolled her eyes at his behavior as she pushed herself off the ground, refusing to feed into that anymore.

Once she was off the forest floor Barriss reached a hand down to help Ahsoka to her feet, offering the girl a private smile, “We’ll finish our conversation later?”

An enthusiastic nod came in response and that was the end of that. For now. 

Barriss was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. She was treading in dangerous water here, and all by herself, nonetheless. She would give anything to be able to ask Luminara about all this as she always did whenever she was confused, but this time was different. Barriss was going to have to figure this out for herself. It was sink or swim with no shoreline in sight.

Thankfully, that was a problem for the future. Now it was time to focus on the mission.

The Jedi made their way closer to the door, hugging the mountainside as much as possible as they neared. When they reached the door’s access panel Ahsoka dropped to a knee, popping off the cover in one quick motion before beginning to fiddle with the wires. After a few seconds, the door slid open with a  _ hiss _ and Anakin rushed inside in a blur of motion. Within seconds he had overwhelmed the two Pacithhip inside, dispatching them both before they even had a chance to register that there was an intruder.

Once both Pacithhip were deemed unconscious, the girls quickly filed in after Anakin, letting the door slide shut behind them and immersing themselves in the tunnel system once more. 

As Barriss moved to assist Anakin with the bodies she felt a familiar weight slip into her palm. It had been discussed before that she was going to take Ahsoka’s saber but it still didn’t sit right with her. Yes, Ahsoka would still have her shoto to protect herself, but as someone who was mourning the loss of her saber, it made Barriss uncomfortable to take another’s. She was almost ready to refuse it but then she heard Luminara’s voice asking her to protect herself today and she swallowed back the roiling discomfort. She glanced back at Ahsoka and the padawans offered each other a nod, one of understanding and gratitude, before setting to their assignments on opposite sides of the room.

Helping Anakin move the Pacithhip bodies proved to be quite the challenge as the Pacithhip were, rather unfortunately, just as heavy as they looked. It took Barriss and Anakin a great deal of grunting and sweating but after a few minutes of heaving, they had finally hidden the first Pacithhip in the corner of the room. 

As they crossed the room again to start moving the second body, Barriss was struck by a sudden realization. She had to scoff at her own idiocy as the thought dawned on her. “I have been around you people for far too long.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Anakin queried as he began grappling with the Pacithhip’s arms. 

“It means I was thinking with my muscles and not my head. Master Skywalker, we  _ are _ Force users.” Barriss punctuated her response by reaching out with the Force and placing the second Pacithhip next to the first with a wave of her hand. 

Anakin pointed a finger at her, ready to retort, before retreating into a shrug. “I won’t argue with you on that one.”

“Hey, if you two are done wasting your time,” Ahsoka interjected from where she was dismantling a monitor, “I hear movement outside the door.”

Both Jedi moved to flank the entrance, taking up a position on either side as they waited for whoever was drawing near. Barriss’s hand flexed around her weapon as the stampede of footsteps drew closer, the heavy footfalls of bodies weighed down with armor and weapons quickly approaching. If she had to guess, Barriss would estimate that about a dozen men were trotting down the hall. A bit too many for them to handle with no worry. 

She held her breath as they closed in, waiting for the moment when the door was breached, but that time never came. The footsteps carried on past them and down the hall. They were safe, for now. 

“I bet they’re running towards whatever trouble Master Unduli and the guys managed to cook up nearby,” Anakin postulated with a nervous chuckle.

Barriss smirked at the older Jedi, “My master will never admit it, but I know that she’s secretly happy with the assignment you gave her. I don’t think that anyone would ever guess it, but wreaking havoc is a specialty of hers. Being told to purposefully cause mayhem is her ideal assignment.”

“Oh, I’m well aware. Why do you think I gave her the job?” Anakin laughed. “You should have seen her face when we blew up the Separatists’ bridge on Geonosis. She was like a kid in the candy store.”

Based on past experiences, Barriss knew that his assessment was one hundred percent accurate. It was an incongruous part of Luminara’s personality. A puzzle piece that seemed like it had come from a separate box. Her proclivity for chaos did not align with the rest of her peaceful existence but it was one of the things about her master that Barriss was most grateful to be privy to since it was knowledge held by so few.

If she had to hazard a guess, Barriss would assume that this came from all the repression that happened in her teenage years. But, of course, she was no psychiatrist. 

A quiet  _ harumph _ drew them from their conversation. In the center of the room, Ahsoka was glaring at the wires in front of her. Her gaze was so intense that you would assume the fury behind it alone would have sent the small cables scrambling for her desired locations.

“Something wrong, Snips?” Anakin inquired. 

Ahsoka’s eyes snapped up to meet her master’s gaze, startled by the fact that she had drawn his attention. After a moment of contemplating her words, the Togruta explained, “This program is just a little more outdated than I originally anticipated. I think it’s going to take a little longer than I initially planned.”

Barriss grimaced. She did not want to be down here a second more than what was strictly necessary. “How much longer?”

“Just a couple more minutes.” Ahsoka waved off her concern as she picked up the wires again. “Don’t worry, I’ve got everything under con—”

An alarm blared to life from every corner of the room, the sudden volume forcing the Jedi to cover their ears. In addition to the noise, a blood-red emergency light emerged from the ceiling. The light bathed Anakin and Barriss in its scarlet glow, forcing them to squint in the sudden relative darkness. In the center of the room, Ahsoka’s surprised expression was still awash in the white light emitted by the monitor, casting a beautiful glow about her.

“‘I’ve got everything under control’, huh?” Anakin shouted over the alarms. 

“Mocking me isn’t going to help me turn this thing off any faster!” The padawan retorted before diving back into the wiring. 

Barriss sincerely hoped that Ahsoka was able to fix this soon. In addition to the pulsing headache she could already feel forming behind her temples, she was certain that the alarm was going to remove every element of stealth they’d had. It was only a matter of time before the Pacithhip came banging on their door. 

Unfortunately for them, that development took almost no time. Within moments there was a pounding on the door and commands being shouted at them in a language Barriss had no hope of understanding.

She mirrored Skywalker’s movements as he prepared for a fight, drawing back and away from the door with her unsheathed lightsaber ready by her side. All of her weight was on her toes as she prepared to spring into action. Her fingers twitched as she counted the seconds until breach, muscles itching for a fight after so much time spent fleeing. 

After one more heave of the door, three soldiers spilled into the room. They raised their guns as their trunks curled in surprise at the sight that greeted them. They hesitated and the momentary lapse was all the Jedi needed. Anakin and Barriss surged forward, swinging their sabers in tight motions that quickly felled the first two guards. 

They decommissioned the third guard in a motion that seemed well-rehearsed, as though they’d spent years fighting side by side. As the lone Pacithhip attempted to flee the carnage and hightail it back out the door, they struck, moving as one in response. With a flick of her wrist, Barriss forced the door shut once more. One powerful force push from Anakin sent the guard careening headfirst into the closed panel, quickly followed by his slump into unconsciousness.

As quickly as it had started, the fight was over. Barriss hadn’t even broken a sweat.

They made quick work of the bodies, piling them on top of the others in the corner. 

Just as Barriss set down the last guard, the red light faded and the harsh ringing was abruptly cut short. Not that she minded. When she glanced towards the center of the room Barriss saw Ahsoka triumphantly holding up a tangle of wires. “I fixed it! I also locked that door from the inside. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about any more unwanted guests for a while.”

“Well done, Ahsoka,” Barriss praised. Her compliment was met with a blush that the younger girl fought hard, but failed, to hide. 

“The last thing to do is patch us through to the council,” Anakin prompted as he came to stand beside his apprentice. 

Ahsoka immediately sprung to action, plugging the last few wires into place to leverage the system to their use. The next few minutes passed in relative silence as the padawan worked, aside from the occasional shout from somewhere in the hall. Each exclamation had the Jedi reaching for their sabers but thankfully they remained undisturbed.

“I’ve got it!” Ahsoka exclaimed about five minutes later. She pressed a few buttons, plugging in a specific call, and then stepped away from the hub, admiring her work as the blue static sprung to life. 

Before today, Barriss never would have imagined that seeing the mildly irritated face of Master Windu would ever bring her such relief. The older Jedi was, of course, accompanied by the much older Grand Master Yoda himself. The tiny green man seemed almost amused to be seeing them, as though he’d been expecting this call. 

“Master Windu. Master Yoda.” Anakin stepped up to their image and offered a greeting. “I’m afraid that we’re calling you under dire—”

“Is Master Kenobi with you?”

Windu’s interruption startled Anakin, who cast his eyes around the room, almost as though he were double-checking that his master wasn’t actually here. “Uh, no sir. Not at the moment.”

“When you see him please inform him that his actions are going to be carrying consequences. Being on the council does not mean that he can disobey our direct orders. There was a reason why we—”

“Okay, can you just tell him when we get back?” Anakin interrupted, his voice dripping with exasperation. They didn’t have time for a lecture today. “I’m calling because we need urgent assistance. Master Unduli and her padawan have been injured, the supplies for Ryloth were shot out of the sky, and we have no means off this planet. We need a rescue now.”

“Understand, we do. Critical, the situation is.” Master Yoda fiddled with something near the screen and suddenly a new face emerged before them. Aayla Secura’s startled expression was a light in the storm. “Knight Secura. Required, your assistance is.”

“How can I be of service, masters?”

“Your troops are the closest to the coordinates of Skywalker’s current position. We’re dispatching you and a few of your men to go extract our people,” Master Windu, now recovered from the shock of Anakin’s disrespect, answered. 

“Understood,” Aayla responded as she looked to the incoming coordinates. After a few seconds of contemplation, she supplied, “My men and I can be there in a few hours. Just after nightfall would be my best guess.”

A collective sigh was exhaled by the Jedi in the communication room. Finally, a way off this miserable planet was in reach. 

“We won’t be at these exact coordinates when you get here. We’re in the middle of enemy territory right now. Just west of our current coordinates lies a mountain with a lake sitting directly below. We’ll be waiting there for your ship,” Anakin explained. 

“I will see you tonight, Skywalker,” Aayla offered a wink to the Jedi Knight and a more formal bow of her head to the masters before signing off. 

“Wishing you well, we are,” Master Yoda waved his cane at each of them. “Be hearing from you soon, we shall. Hm.”

And with that, the Jedi masters disappeared. Barriss was both relieved and, well, a bit underwhelmed. She thought there might have been a bit more fanfare upon hearing that five Jedi who had all disappeared in the span of two days had resurfaced completely unscathed. 

Well, somewhat unscathed. 

“Did anyone else get the feeling that only Aayla was happy to see us?” Anakin remarked. 

Ahsoka snorted, giving her master a condescending pat on the shoulder, “You tend to have that kind of effect on people, Skyguy.”

“Yeah, whatever. Let’s just smash up this tech and get the hell out of here.” 

“Why are we destroying the tech?” Barriss questioned. 

Anakin unsheathed his saber again and quickly slashed through the monitor with two clean swipes. “Well, we don’t want anyone finding out who we called, do we? It’s easier to leave them with fewer pieces of the puzzle, Barriss.”

That actually made sense, she would give Anakin credit for that. 

Now it was time to head for the rendezvous, which meant that Barriss needed to return Ahsoka’s saber for the journey. She glanced down at the weapon clenched in her palm, the mirror piece of herself that had been stolen from her by these abhorrent slavers. Yet another reason to wish ill upon them. It was difficult to force herself to hand the saber over and as soon as Ahsoka took it back Barriss felt incomplete again. 

First, the Pacithhip stole her lightsaber and then her connection with the Force. One had been restored and the other could be replaced; it wouldn’t be quite the same but she supposed it would do. 

“Alright guys, let’s get out of here. I’m sick of this place.” Anakin waved his hand and the outer door opened once more. One after the other they slipped out of the facility and ventured back into the forest once more.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Luminara’s sides heaved as she burst through the brush. The boys came careening around the bend behind her a moment later, howling with laughter as their latest ‘distraction’ blew up a couple hundred yards away. Despite her best efforts to remain stoic, Luminara couldn’t help but chuckle as well, spurred on by the enraged shouts of the Pacithhip guards who had been chasing them all morning. 

The merriment was short-lived, she still had to be the person on task here. Luminara did her best to school her features as she turned around to bark at her men. “Draa! Buzz! Celebrate later. We have to focus on joining the others now.”

“Yes, general,” the soldiers quickly responded, their voices heady with laughter and breathless from excitement. 

Luminara really couldn’t blame them, even with their current predicament she was having the time of her life. It was an indescribable form of catharsis to throw explosives at the walls she had been confined to just days before. 

Once they had distanced themselves from the scene of their crime, Buzz jogged up to her side and asked, “Do you think we’ve given Barriss’s team enough time to complete their mission?”

“If I know Skywalker, they’ve destroyed the communication port by now and are heading to the rendezvous as we speak. We’ve given them more than enough time.”

“The real question is whether Gree and Master Kenobi have found anything valuable yet,” Draa called from behind. 

That was indeed the question of the hour. Luminara couldn’t guess whether or not they’d finished their task yet because she honestly didn’t know what they were doing. There was no way they would find anything ‘of value’. The odds were highly likely that the Pacithhip had torn those ships apart days ago and already stripped everything worthwhile. 

“I suppose we won’t know until we see them tonight.”

The trio fell quiet as they continued their push through the woods. They were forced to move at a slower pace than Luminara would have liked but it was all she could manage with her beaten body. It made her cheeks flush with embarrassment every time Buzz realized he was running a bit too far ahead and had to force himself to slow down. Despite her chagrin, she was glad that they refused to leave her side, for Luminara had no desire to be left alone on this nightmare planet. 

They ran for the better part of two hours before running into a significant obstacle. There was a stream snaking through the forest that ran a tad deeper than expected. Buzz had jumped in first, wading through the waist-high water with ease before clearing the area on the opposite bank. Once he gave them the ‘all good’ signal, Luminara and Draa began making their way across. They’d almost made it to shore when Luminara’s boot caught a particularly deep patch of muck and trapped her foot.

Buzz couldn’t help but laugh as he watched them struggle in the languid water. Here they were, running for their lives in arguably one of the worst situations they’ve ever been in, and Draa and Luminara were jockeying each other as they fought with a shoe. He couldn’t wait to tell Barriss about this.

Unfortunately for Buzz, his laughter meant that he was distracted from the other happenings around them. They were none the wiser that anyone was approaching until someone exploded out of the trees and slammed straight into the clone.

The soldier almost fell flat on his back but at the last second a hand shot out and caught hold of his chest plate. Buzz glanced down at the tall blades of grass now brushing against his face and then up towards the person holding him a foot off the ground, “Why hello, commander.”

Gree let out an exasperated sigh and then released his brother, letting Buzz fall to the ground with an  _ oomph _ . “What are you all doing here? You should have been closer to the lake by now.”

Before anyone could respond, a mildly singed Obi-Wan came sprinting onto the scene. When he glanced around and took note of the others his face broke into a panic. “What are you all doing here? You’re supposed to be headed to the lake!”

It was a good thing Luminara was still stuck in the stream or she might have been tempted to smack one of them upside the head. She released her boot and rose to her full height in the water, crossing her arms impatiently as she glowered at the men. “Might I remind you both that the three of us had the farthest distance to travel?”

Besides her Draa nodded along, waving a hand back and forth between the two mountains to emphasize the distance. 

“Exactly. And might I also remind you, that we had to distract the Pacithhip long enough to allow your team and Barriss’s team to get the job done. If anything,  _ you _ should be closer to the lake than us.”

Before Luminara could continue berating them a quiet beeping started emanating from Gree’s wrist. He glanced down at his watch and then up to Obi-Wan, the color draining from both of their faces. “Just run!”

No one needed to be told twice.

With a great heave, Draa grabbed Luminara’s waist and extracted her from the muck. They scrambled up the small slope and darted off after the others. There was no need to stop and question what was going on. Luminara could count on one hand the number of times that Gree had sounded genuinely panicked when giving orders and none of those instances had ended well for those involved. 

They managed to make it a couple hundred feet deeper into the trees when a concussive explosion went off behind them. The force of the blast knocked them all off their feet, even with the distance they’d managed to cover. Luminara rolled as she hit the ground, trying to avoid letting her injured back collide with the dirt as much as possible. When she bounced back up to a crouch she glanced at the sky and found that it was painted orange and grey as fire and smoke filled the air. 

“What did you do?” Luminara questioned.

Once Obi-Wan was able to peel himself off the ground he explained, “By the time Gree and I got to the ships there was nothing of importance left to grab, but there were still plenty of guards waiting for us to drop in. We got caught up in a firefight and a couple of stray blaster bolts hit the ships’ fuel cells. They were already unstable at that point so we just... finished the job.”

“If we can’t have those ships, then no one gets those ships.” Gree finished with a smirk. 

Both men seemed rather proud of their ‘quick thinking’. Luminara wasn’t entirely sure of what they thought they had accomplished. This wasn’t really a loss for the Pacithhip, but who was she to take a victory from them? If blowing up the ships was what they needed, then she could let them have that. 

A quick glance towards Draa and Buzz’s conciliatory expressions confirmed that they had come to the same conclusion.

“So you didn’t find anything on the ships?” Draa emphasized.

Gree shook his head. “No, everything was gone. We blew up the ships to keep them from the Pacithhip, but more importantly, to provide us some more cover to escape. It’s easier to slip away unnoticed when all the ground forces are preoccupied with that mess.”

Okay, perhaps they hadn’t completely wasted their time after all. 

“Well, that won’t keep them distracted forever,” Luminara said. “Let’s get going.”

And so they were off again. 

The pace they broke into was just shy of a sprint, manageable on any other day, but brutal on Luminara’s body right now. Her discomfort didn’t matter though. They had to use the time the explosion had bought them to stay ahead of the Pacithhip. Only once they’d reached the lake could Luminara take the time to worry over the fire shooting through her ribs. 

They ran for a bit longer, doing their best to avoid any of the natural pitfalls and traps of the woods. They were doing a pretty good job of it, with only the occasional trip up, and it seemed like they were finally making progress. Now and again she would catch a glimpse of their destination, the opposing mountain, glaring at them through the trees. The barren summit loomed closer and closer with each glance. 

Luminara was so focused on the image of their final destination and eventual salvation that she didn’t notice when Gree signaled for them to slow down. She stumbled into her commander, her body crashing into his with a grunt. Gree must have seen her coming because he firmly planted his feet and stuck out an arm to catch her, righting the Jedi before she had a chance to pull him down. 

“What is it?” Luminara questioned as she found her balance. 

Gree shook his head, eyeing the treetops above him, “I thought I heard something... but maybe I was just being paranoid.”

The other soldiers looked uneasy. Like Luminara, they knew that it wasn’t often that Gree was alarmed or caught off guard. Twice in one day was unprecedented. They palmed their weapons, preparing for a fight. 

The clearing fell into a silence as they closed rank, forming a tight circle as they stared into the surrounding woods. Whatever was waiting for them, they would be ready. 

They were so focused on the ground that no one thought to search the sky until it was too late. The whistle of a Pacithhip missile filled the air and before they could react the device crashed into the ground in front of them. It had only missed them by a few hundred feet and the impact shook the trees around them. Thankfully, it was just far enough off that they remained unharmed. 

A tendril of dread shot through Luminara. Had the Pacithhip pinpointed their location already? Were they leading them to the lake?

A scoff next to her ear drew Luminara’s attention and she saw Buzz and Draa exchanging disbelieving glances. Then a grin broke out on Buzz’s face and he asked, “Do you think we made them mad?”

Of course, he had managed to find the humor in this. Or perhaps a few days of sleep deprivation, harrowing circumstances, and the worst luck ever had finally cracked him. Luminara couldn’t be sure of which.

Her gaze slid to Draa whose head was whipping back and forth between the missile crash and the mountain behind them. Eventually, his gaze landed on her and with a look of incredulity he mused aloud, “I never  _ ever _ thought I would say this but... maybe we blew up  _ too many _ things.”

Despite their situation, Luminara laughed. She never imagined she would see the day where Draa wondered if they had finally gone too far. Perhaps sleep deprivation was getting to her too. 

“How did they find us?” Obi-Wan wondered, drawing them back to the issue at hand. His question was met with silence and empty stares. No one had an answer. 

That’s when the second missile struck. Quickly followed by a third. And a fourth. 

“That doesn’t matter right now! Just run!” Luminara shouted as the forest floor shook from bomb after bomb. She took off towards the mountain again, the men hot on her heels, their feet barely scraping the ground as they tore away from the danger. Suddenly her aching ribs and throbbing head were no longer a problem, the chance of being blown to bits was much more pressing.

Missiles rained down around them and the forest was alight with fire and destruction. Explosion after explosion went off, some close enough to scare and others far off on the other side of the woods. The other side where Luminara imagined her padawan was at the moment, hopefully fleeing just like her master. 

Luminara cursed under her breath. Damn these people. Damn this planet. Couldn’t they just let them slip away?

The next wave of missiles sailed through the air and the last of the batch landed close enough to stir up some trouble. Splintered wood and hard shrapnel were sent flying in every direction. Luminara turned in on herself, hoping that her robe would shield her from the worst of it. 

Only a few measly pieces of bark had pelted her when a familiar body came from behind and wrapped himself around her back, protecting the stinging lashes from any further damage.

After the worst of it had passed the Jedi slowly extracted themselves from the other’s grasp. There were a few lingering touches, just to make sure that they were truly okay, and then back to business.

“You don’t see a pattern to any of these attacks, do you?” 

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair, gesturing wildly at the scene before them with the other. “None whatsoever. Do you think they’re completely random?”

She nodded grimly, “That is my suspicion. I don’t think they’re tracking us, but rather hoping that we get caught up in one of their strikes. They’re bombing the forest just to purge us from it.”

A scoff sounded from behind her. Gree looked disgusted at the notion, at the disregard for life. “How can that be logical to them? They live in the same area they’re using heavy artillery on.”

“They live underground. I bet they hardly come into the woods, let alone live in it. It’s just us and the animals.” At least, that’s what Luminara was telling herself. She didn’t want to believe that there might be people out here that the Pacithhip would so willingly sacrifice just to capture some runaways. 

The idea of such a horror seemed to unsettle the rest of their group and they all took a moment to let the information settle. It was a brief moment, however, because the forest was still going up in smoke around them. They had to keep moving.

The grim reality hardened Luminara’s resolve. She turned to address the men, making her voice heard over the roar of the woods. “We have to get to that mountain. No matter what. Do not turn back, do not get distracted, do not deviate from the course. Just head for the lake. If Ahsoka got through to the Council then that is our only hope. May the Force be with us.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The first explosion had brought them to a standstill as they tried to pinpoint its exact location. Barriss would have given anything for a comm at that moment. Or a signal flare. Anything that would have let her know that her friends were unharmed. 

Anakin was the one to interrupt the ensuing silence. “That blast looks like it came from the ships and I would bet my right hand that it was Gree and Obi-Wan who set it off. Obi-Wan pretty much told me that that was their plan if they couldn’t find anything of value.”

“You’re sure?” Barriss wasn’t entirely convinced. 

“As sure as I can be. Come on, we have to focus on getting ourselves to the lake. I know that the others will meet us there.”

It wasn’t often that Anakin truly seemed like someone her senior, Barriss usually thought of him as more of a senior padawan rather than a junior Knight. This was one of the rare occasions where he managed to prove her wrong. She had never been more thankful. There was something about the certainty in his voice that pulled Barriss’s head out of the panicked haze it was edging towards. She knew that he was right. It was time to focus on completing their mission. 

The Jedi set off again, making good time as they ran towards the mountain. They did their best to straddle the gorge as they traveled, giving themselves a clear path to follow downstream. 

They’d made it another few miles before the first missile impacted. Again, it was much farther east. The direction that all of their teammates were in. 

“Master?” Ahsoka called nervously. 

Their pace slowed to a jog as they waited for his answer. Anakin looked toward the sky, squinting at Force knows what. Suddenly his eyes burst wide and he began frantically waving them on, “Run!”

Neither padawan needed to be told twice. 

They took off through the trees, shooting past Anakin with everything they had left in them just as the next wave of missiles struck. The forest floor quaked with the strength of it. Trees shook and bent, threatening to topple over and crush them. Rocks shook free of the canyon walls and plummeted down into the rapids below.

The Pacithhip spared no time before launching the next barrage and soon the bombs began landing far too close to comfort. _ The slavers had to be tracking them somehow _ , Barriss thought. 

“How do they know where we are?! We haven’t seen a single one of those bastards since the mountain!” Ahsoka shouted, frustration bleeding through every word.

A dreadful thought occurred to Barriss. “It might not be us that they’re tracking!” She paused as she lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding a thick branch dropping from high above their heads in the bombs’ wake. “We have no idea how close we are to the others! Maybe another team attracted some unwanted attention?”

Barriss glanced back to find Anakin still trailing behind them, nodding his head in agreement with her assessment. He cast a scowl towards the woods but whether he was cursing their friends or the Pacithhip was unclear. 

Perhaps both. 

Barriss was cursing both.

“We need to keep ahead of the next wave! As long as we stay in front of the missiles we’ll be fi—” 

Skywalker’s instructions were cut short by the exact circumstance he had just warned against. The next missile struck maybe a few dozen yards to their right and they all went flying. 

Barriss soared through the air, her body seemingly weightless as she left the ground. For a terrible moment, she thought of the arena and the Lomax brother throwing her body high into the air. The memory released her as she came crashing back down to the forest floor. Her shoulder struck the ground hard, followed by the rest of her body as she bounced over dead leaves and broken branches. She rolled once, twice, three times, before skidding to a halt. 

Just in time too, a glance to her left revealed that she was perilously close to the canyon’s edge. 

Searing pain ripped through her shoulder as she pushed to her feet but Barriss shook it off. It wasn’t dislocated, any other injury could be dealt with later. The ringing that filled her ears was a far more insistent problem and even that would heal itself in a matter of moments. 

She glanced around the woods, looking for any sign of Ahsoka and her master. Thankfully they were both fairly easy to find amidst the chaos quickly erupting around them. Ahsoka was kneeling a couple yards away, wiping at the blood trickling down her face from a cut above her brow. Anakin had somehow wound up even farther from them, just beyond a smoldering tree, one of many that dotted the immediate area. 

Before any of them could even think of regrouping the rest of the assault began tearing through the sky. The ground rumbled with the force of each blow and trees began tumbling to the ground around them, unable to stand tall under the relentless bombardment. The flaming tree between Anakin and the padawans was one of the unfortunate casualties. It collapsed with a resounding crack, dividing them on opposite sides of the burning wood. 

Ahsoka started towards the tree, intent on reaching her master, but Bariss yanked her back as the smoldering embers sparked to life upon contact with the lush grass. The temperature climbed as the flames rose between them until there was no way to get to Skywalker without jumping through a wall of fire. The look on his face said that he knew that too.

“Go!” Anakin called, his voice hard as steel. “I’ll meet you at the lake! Just stay together and don’t turn back!” Before Ahsoka could protest, the Jedi turned and darted deeper into the woods to make his own way. 

Barriss was more than happy to follow directions. 

She grabbed Ahsoka by the wrist and took off towards the mountain. Despite her apparent shock, Ahsoka was able to maintain a pretty consistent pace beside Barriss. She held tight to the Togruta’s wrist anyways, trying to eliminate the possibility of them getting separated too. 

This aerial assault seemed to be never-ending as they pushed on. Every time Barriss thought they might have heard the last ‘ _ boom’ _ it started up again a minute later. 

There was no rhyme or reason to the attacks from what she could discern and that made her feel infinitely better. The lack of focus meant that the Pacithhip didn’t actually know where any of them were, they were just guessing at random and destroying the entire forest in the process. It didn’t seem like the kind of loss a decent ruler would deem acceptable, but she had met their King and he had been anything but. 

The padawans were forced to zig-zag as they ran through the forest, dodging and weaving as the bombs continued to rain down. After a few minutes of this Barriss was beginning to forget which way they were running. They were getting turned around and if they didn’t figure it out soon they would end up running straight back into the arms of the enemy. They needed some kind of high ground.

Or perhaps, some low ground.

“Make for the canyon!” Barriss shouted.

Ahsoka pulled a face, her brows furrowed in confusion, but she didn’t question the decision. There was no resistance from the Togruta as Barriss tugged her back towards the gorge that had almost spelled their demise several times over the past day. 

When they finally reached the canyon Barriss brought them up to the very edge. Her chest heaved with rapidly fading adrenaline as her eyes scanned the jagged wall below them. She dragged them along the canyon’s edge until she spotted precisely what she’d been looking for. Barriss sincerely hoped that she didn’t get them killed.

“Do you trust me?”

“What?” Ahsoka shouted back, although Barriss couldn’t tell if it was due to confusion or hearing loss. 

“Do you trust me!”

“Yes!”

The answer was firm. Unwavering. It was all the confirmation Barriss needed to believe that she wasn’t about to send them to their deaths. “Then jump!”

The brief free fall over the side of the canyon sent Barriss’s heart leaping into her throat. A startled shout ripped itself free of Ahsoka’s mouth. Then their feet hit solid ground. They tumbled and it took all of Barriss’s strength to prevent them from pitching forward and down to the churning rapids below. 

They were now the occupants of a small ledge jutting out of the canyon, resting about twenty feet below the cliff’s edge. It was barely big enough for both of them but it would do. 

Pebbles skittered under their feet as they quickly scrambled away from the edge. With their backs pressed to the wall and relatively safe from plummeting, the girls panted as they fought for breath. 

“Barriss,” Ahsoka wheezed, “you’re insane.”

A manic smile found its way to her lips. Perhaps she was a little bit insane, but who could blame her after the week she’d had?

“You’re the one who trusted me. I would argue that you’re the crazier one here.” Barriss squinted up at the trees peeking over the canyon’s edge above them. “Besides, we’re safe.”

A hysteric laugh pierced the air. “This is the most ‘unsafe’ location I could think of! We’re going to die down here and no one will know where we went.”

“Ahsoka.” Barriss clamped a hand down on the girl’s knee, trying to anchor her words. “We have been running against this canyon since the first bomb hit. Not a single explosive has come this far. And they won’t bother to send one this way because this area is dangerous enough on its own. We’re safe from the Pacithhip here. Just don’t fall and you will be fine.”

Understanding dawned on the Togruta’s face as she processed Barriss’s words. They were done running. Now it was time to sit and wait this out. 

It was a few minutes before either of them was ready to talk again. Ahsoka was still twitching with every distant explosion and Barriss was trying to ignore the way her heel kept slipping off the ledge. Neither girl was really in the chatting mood but Barriss desperately needed something to occupy her mind so she asked, “What were you going to tell me earlier?”

“Hm?”

“When we were waiting to break into the communication hub you were trying to tell me something but Anakin interrupted. What was it?”

Those expressive blue eyes suddenly found interest in everything around them that wasn’t a Mirialan padawan. It was easy to see that Ahsoka was scrambling for an excuse to avoid this conversation. “I’m not sure if right now is the time to talk about that. The sky is literally falling down around us.”

Barriss pushed back, “I think now is the perfect time. It’s not like we’re going anywhere.” Another bomb went off in the woods, driving home her point. “Who knows, we might even die today—”

“Barriss!” Now she had Ahsoka’s attention. The Togruta’s eyes were daggers as her head whipped back around to the older padawan. They both knew that they should not be testing their luck by voicing things like that. 

The padawan in question defensively raised her hands. “I’m just saying it’s a rather distinct possibility. Are you sure that you want to die without telling me whatever it is you wanted to say?”

Ahsoka’s face soured in annoyance and perhaps... dread? She quickly muttered something at the sky and then turned back to Barriss. “You are mean and manipulative, did you know that?”

“It’s been mentioned before, yes.”

“Well as long as you know,” Ahsoka retorted. And then she paused. She paused for a long while and Barriss watched her strong jaw grind as she tried to force out the words. 

While Barriss was enjoying the floundering, she wasn’t  _ actually _ ‘mean and manipulative’ and she knew when to give in. Her hand reached out to still Ahsoka’s fidgety fingers. “I’m only teasing, Ahsoka. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. Or that you’re just not ready to. We aren’t going to die today.”

“But I am ready to tell you!” Ahsoka hurriedly exclaimed. She cringed at the volume of her protest and clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent any other unprompted declarations from spewing forth. After a quick inhale and exhale Ahsoka tried again. “I am ready. I just want to be sure I have the right words. This... this is important.”

That much was evident. Barriss nodded her understanding but kept her mouth shut, there was no need to fluster her friend any further. 

“Do you remember when we were in the medbay together? After the Geonosian parasite.”

“I try not to remember that mission as much as possible.” Barriss shuddered, recalling the day she’d lost all control of her body and how she had begged Ahsoka to kill her just to be free of it. Not exactly a fond memory. 

“Yeah, I try to forget the mission too. But I think about that night in the medbay all the time. That was the first time we ever really talked, remember? We should have been sleeping but neither of us could close our eyes so we stayed up talking all night instead.”

Barriss did remember that. She had been recovering quite well, physically speaking, but her mental state was a wreck. Every time she’d shut her eyes she saw herself infected with that damn worm and her skin itched as though it were still crawling around inside her. Ahsoka must’ve noticed because she stayed up with her all night, offering distractions that kept Barriss too occupied to dwell on the day’s horrors. 

She’d never even had to ask, Ahsoka just knew what would help her. They’d talked about everything and anything that night. Training. Jedi gossip. Fears and hopes. The stars and all that lay between. 

That night was the first time in a long time that Barriss had felt like she was making a genuine connection with someone her age. The other padawans usually thought her too serious or too shy. No one wanted to play with the quiet girl who spent her free time nestled in the library. Everyone except Ahsoka. 

That night had been special.

“Yes, I remember.”

Some of the tension left Ahsoka’s shoulders. “I was so sad when Anakin took me back to our ship the next morning. I was scared that we wouldn’t see each other again or that you might ignore me in the temple or something. But you never did.”

And how could she? From that point on Ahsoka had made it a habit to seek Barriss out every time they were both on Coruscant. One time the Togruta had even gone so far as to insert herself into a mission she and Luminara had been on in the lower levels. Not that Barris had ever once minded. Her chest tightened every time Ahsoka surprised her in the library. Her stomach did flips when the girl came knocking at her apartment door. 

“You’ve been my best friend, Barriss,” Ahsoka said, her sky blue eyes vibrant with unnamed emotion. Her words were kind, as always, but Barriss felt something sharp tug in her chest.  _ Best friends _ . It was almost a physical pain but she smiled anyway. 

Before Barriss could begin to shy away Ahsoka forged ahead. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared as when the council called to tell me and Anakin that you were in trouble. I almost sent poor Skyguy through a wall when he told me we had to wait for Obi-Wan to come to leave Tatooine. And then Obi-Wan and I nearly got ourselves killed trying to get to you and Luminara as soon as we set foot on the planet.”

“Well that wouldn’t have been very helpful,” Barriss absently joked while trying not to act too disappointed.

The Togruta girl let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, who would’ve ever thought Anakin would be the voice of reason among the three of us? Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that... I have spent the last couple of days thinking of almost nothing but you.”

“What?” Barriss blurted, confused by the new direction of the conversation. 

“Yep. All day, every day. I worry about whether or not your arm is still hurting you. I watch to make sure that you’re actually eating your meals because I know that you skip them when you’re stressed. I wonder what you’re thinking about when you get real quiet beside me. I can’t fall asleep until I know that you’re already sleeping. I have been nervous and stressed and worried about you this whole mission.”

Barriss wasn’t sure where this was going or what she was supposed to say so she just offered, “I’m sorry?”

Ahsoka brushed past the muttered apology, she was too focused on getting her thoughts out in a coherent manner. “And when I’m not worrying about what you’re doing right now, I’ve been thinking about all the other time we’ve spent together in the past. I’ve been thinking about how many hours I’ve sat with my communicator in my lap, waiting for your calls when you’re away from home. And how much time I’ve spent sitting in the dusty sections of the library with you just so we could spend a little more time together. Or the amount of weird tasting Mirialan tea I’ve asked you to make me even though I don’t like the flavor at all, I just wanted an excuse to come see you.”

That last revelation would need to be revisited, Barriss had apparently wasted quite a bit of expensive tea on the Togruta, but she had other priorities right now. “And what has come of all this thinking you’ve been doing, Ahsoka?”

“For a while there, just confusion. I couldn’t put the pieces together and I didn’t know who to ask for help sorting through it all.” Barriss knew that feeling all too well. “And then we stumbled across something last night and... I don’t know, everything just seemed really clear all of a sudden.”

Obi-Wan and Luminara’s euphoria and excitement. They hadn’t explicitly discussed what they’d discovered but they both knew what had happened.

“Barriss?” Ahsoka’s voice was in her ear. “Do you trust me?”

The Mirialan was surprised to hear her own words parroted back to her, but there was no hesitation in her answer. “Yes.”

Ahsoka didn’t spare another moment before closing the distance between them and suddenly the world around them faded to background noise. The churning rapids calmed below. The roar of the burning trees lessened. Even the maelstrom of missiles quieted in response to the press of unbelievably soft lips. 

Barriss felt her heart stutter. She had imagined a moment like this plenty of times, but never in her wildest dreams did she think it would actually come true. Jedi were not meant to yearn for things like this. Good padawans should not enjoy the way one’s breath hitched in response to a hand cupping their face. Jedi Knights did not gasp when they felt the quick graze of teeth on their lip. But if this was what she was missing out on then Barriss might consider forsaking it all. 

The kiss was over far too soon for Barriss’s liking. Ahsoka was the first to come up for air, pulling her head back to gauge the Mirialan’s response. 

For someone who prided themselves on their eloquence, all Barriss could manage to produce was, “Wow.”

Not her finest moment but it did the trick. Ahsoka chuckled and rested her head on Barriss’s robed shoulder. “Yeah, wow.”

“If that’s what happens when you think, then I want you brainstorming more often.”

That garnered a bright burst of laughter from the Togruta, her bouncing shoulders rattling Barriss’s bruised body in her merriment. “I’ll make a note of that.”

They sat like that for a while, content to take a moment just to rest in each other’s arms, away from the dangers of the day and the prying eyes of their friends. Barriss wished that she could’ve found a way to bottle this moment, save it for rainy days when she needed a reminder that there was good in the galaxy. 

After a long while Ahsoka’s head perked up and she turned to glance at the cliffs above them. “Have you heard any bombs lately?”

“It’s been at least seven minutes since I heard any.” The longest gap between an assault wave had been three and a half minutes. The Pacithhip had ceased fire. Which meant it was time to leave their quaint little ledge and continue to make their way through the woods to the rendezvous. 

They would need to have a chat soon about the latest development in their relationship, Barriss had to know how they could make this work, but they could save that for Coruscant. 

It took little effort to scale the cliff now that the Force had been returned to her. They were back over the ledge in a matter of seconds, surveying the damaged lands around them. Trees had been felled, the ground was overturned in places, and small fires sprang to life around them. It looked just as violent as it had sounded. 

“Well, let’s go find our friends.” Ahsoka nodded in the direction of the mountain and they were off once more. 

The rest of the journey took them twice as long as it should have but they’d had to be cautious as they moved through the decimated forest. The last thing they needed was to run right through a burning bush or trip and impale themselves on shrapnel. Caution added time to their travels but Barriss didn’t mind. A longer trip meant that she could put off facing whatever, or whoever, was going to greet them at the lake. She was terrified by the thought that a face or two would be missing when they arrived. 

By the time they reached the rendezvous the fiery sun was starting to dip below the horizon and the evening insects had begun to sing their songs. 

The padawans slowed to a creep as they approached the lake’s tree line, mindful of the fact that they could be greeting friend or foe. They had no idea what had transpired at, or before, the lake. 

When they finally broke into the tall grasses surrounding the shore Barriss was almost amazed by the sight that greeted them. The placid water looked as though it were made of glass, reflecting the beautiful scenery around it. Along with the tall grasses, wildflowers and reeds encircled the shoreline and bloomed in the shallows. The cliff face on the opposite shore was covered in curling vines and blooming buds full of vibrant colors. If this weren’t a planet that she was actively trying to escape, Barriss might have thought of this little haven as an oasis. 

The only problem with this beautiful scene was the fact that there didn’t seem to be anyone else here with them, which greatly unnerved Barriss. “Ahsoka, where do you think they are? We can’t possibly search the whole rim of the lake before Master Secura gets here. What do you think?”

When no response came Barriss slowly spun on her heels, dreading the idea that she might discover nothing but empty space behind her. Sure enough, Ahsoka was nowhere to be found. 

Barriss muttered a curse and dropped low to the ground, letting her training take over before panic could. As quietly as possible, Barriss began to retreat to the tree line for cover, her eyes scanning the grasses for a threat as she moved. 

After a few paces, Barriss bumped into what she assumed was a tree stump. She shifted to slink around the obstacle but released a shocked gasp when she felt two arms encircle her torso. Quick as lightning, she was snatched off her feet and pulled into a particularly dense patch of grass. Before Barriss had the chance to shout in protest or round on her assailant, she was spun around to come face to face with a familiar someone. 

“Master?”

The Mirialan woman smirked at her as if amused by her padawan’s confusion. With a silent nod of her head, Luminara gestured towards the scene behind her where Ahsoka was inspecting a slightly singed Obi-Wan Kenobi. That explained her friend’s ( _ girlfriend’s _ ?) sudden disappearance. 

“I apologize for the stealth tactics,” her master offered an almost sheepish smile. “We weren’t sure if you had been followed or not. We couldn’t risk calling out to you.”

“Apology accepted,” Barriss responded. She took a moment to scan her master’s appearance and was pleased to see that the woman looked decidedly less toasty than Master Kenobi. “Did the others make it?”

Her master nodded once. “They’re waiting a little ways away. Everyone else is accounted for, you and padawan Tano were the last holdouts. Don’t think that didn’t cause quite the panic.”

“We thought it best to wait for the bombs to stop to make a run for it.”

“A wise choice,” Luminara agreed. With a wave of her hand, she gestured for Barriss and the others to follow her. They quickly crept through the grasses towards the lake. While the padawans may not have been followed, it couldn’t hurt to remain vigilant. Especially with their luck. 

When they reached a steep dune on the shoreline Luminara hopped down to the sands below and disappeared from view. The padawans followed suit, dropping over the short ledge. A turn revealed the rest of their company resting against the bottom of the crest, safely tucked away from searching eyes. 

Their names were a near silent cheer from Anakin and the clones. Barriss felt her heart warm as she looked upon her friends. She had been so frightened that this morning would be the last she would see of their faces. 

At last, something was working in their favor. They had all made it to the rendezvous point in one (mostly) burn-free piece. Aayla was on her way and should be arriving in the next few hours. Ahsoka had kissed her. 

Maybe today was the day the Force decided to favor them. 

They had worked hard and done everything they could to rescue themselves, now all that was left to do was wait. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say, this chapter has been my favorite to write this far.
> 
> I don't know about y'all but one of my favorite things about this work has been my implication that Luminara, Buzz, and Draa are just these agents of chaos that Gree and Barriss have to deal with on the daily. 
> 
> Also, please do not ask me why Ahsoka wouldn't have given Barriss one of her sabers earlier on the story, in complete honesty I was so focused on writing the relationships that this fact slipped my mind. I may have also raised Buzz from the dead? oh well, canon is merely a guideline
> 
> Last piece from me, there's a little Aladdin moment in this chapter, let me know if y'all can pick it out.
> 
> As always, thanks for the read and please let me know what you thought!
> 
> Only one chapter to go!

**Author's Note:**

> I have the next chapter about halfway done already so it should be up soon!!
> 
> thanks for the read! please let me know what you think!


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